We’re nearly a third into the year 2018; how are your new year’s resolutions coming along?
If you’re like most people, the answer is probably not very well. Many people begin each year with high ambitions to accomplish their big, audacious dreams, but when push comes to shove, many people let the inertia of daily life take over, and they settle with the same ol’, same ol’ that they’ve always done. It can be really tough to begin a new habit, much less maintain it, and a lot of people fail before they even begin simply because they don’t even try. They assume that they’re going to fail, so they’d rather save themselves the embarrassment.
I’m not going to offer you some magical panacea, but I can tell you that my best advice for you this year — one of the best ways to take care of yourself, in terms of your physical, mental, and nutritional health — and one way that you can be sure to hit some of your health and fitness-related goals for 2018 is to simply register for, and run, your first ever road race.
Say what?!
If you’re looking to improve your health and fitness this year, challenge yourself, make some new friends, and savor the accomplishment of realizing a hard-earned goal, then running your first race is totally the way to go.
Before you quickly dismiss my idea and claim that but I’m not a runner! I hate running!, please allow me to ensure that yes, even if you think that you “aren’t a runner,” you can, in fact, do this. If you’re serious about improving your health, wellness, and nutrition this year, arguably one of the best things you can do is complete your first running road race, and it’s more feasible than you think.
Below, I’ll describe in detail some additional reasons as to why you should seriously consider running your first race in 2018. I’ve been a runner for most of my life and have been participating in endurance events — marathons, specifically — for the past 11 years. I have seen countless people, folks who considered themselves “non runners,” over the years transform from sedentary, unhealthy individuals to runners, and I, myself, stood at that crossroads way back when. If I can do this stuff, anyone — including you — absolutely can as well.
Some additional reasons to run your first race in 2018 include the following:
It will provide structure. Many people fail at making exercise a habit because they have no structure in place. They think that if they simply go to the gym more often than not, that’ll do the trick. For many people, however, they waste more time at the gym than they spend actually exercising. When you’re following a training plan to help you complete a race like a 5k (3.1 miles), you’ll have the structure already built in. Taking the guesswork out of what you need to do is wonderful; there’s very little thinking — and therefore, stress — required.
You can meet like minded people. When you’re training for your first race, seriously consider joining a local running group. There are many “couch to 5k” programs available, and by joining a group like that, you’ll be able to meet other people with similar goals as you. Without a doubt, it can be intimidating to do something new and to just show up somewhere, knowing no one, when you are uncertain about your abilities, but just relax. As adults, we have so few opportunities to really challenge ourselves, and this challenge that you’re undertaking is important for your health. You want to surround yourself with like minded people, folks who will understand your challenges and accomplishments, and as an added bonus, you may find that you’ll cultivate enduring friendships in the process. Plus — and this is great! — you can make workout buddies! Running with others is a blast and can make the time fly by.
You’ll probably want to overhaul your nutrition. As you begin training for your first running event, you’ll probably find that you feel a lot better on your runs when you eat certain foods compared to others. It’s kinda like the analogy of what you put into your car: if you put high-quality oil and gas into your car, it probably operates more effectively and efficiently. In contrast, if you only put the cheapest, lowest-grade stuff into your car — or fail to maintain it at all — you probably have more problems with it. So it is with your body: garbage in, garbage out. High quality in, high quality out. This isn’t to suggest that you can no longer enjoy a sweet treat; instead, you will likely find that as you train for your first running event, your body will crave more healthful foods more frequently than before.
Training can help your sleep. Many people don’t sleep enough hours each night or fail to sleep well. When you’re training for your first running event, it’s very possible that you’ll find that you sleep more soundly, more regularly, and more consistently than you did before. Any fitness adaptation you make actually occurs when you’re at rest, not when you’re in the throes of your hard workout. Rest, then, becomes an extremely important component to your training. Inadequate sleep has been linked to myriad health-related issues, and by training for your first running event, you’ll be helping to stave off some of those issues.
It can do a number for your mental health. Finally, besides all the other aforementioned benefits that training for your first running event confers, and in addition to all the other benefits I haven’t articulated in this post — such as decreased blood pressure, weight loss or weight stabilization, and better cardiovascular health — when you’re training for your first running event, you may be pleased to find that training does wonders for your mental health. Many people report that running is like “moving meditation,” and people love its cathartic nature. It’s important for all of us to disconnect from the daily hubbub of busy life, but for most of us, it’s easier said than done. Training will allow you to have built-in time each day to disconnect from life and recharge your proverbial batteries and in the process, improve your mood and outlook. Runners joke that “running is cheaper than therapy” for a reason, after all!
These are but a few of the many reasons why you should seriously consider running your first race in 2018. It can seriously change your life in profound ways, in ways that you’d never anticipate, and if you remain open to the experience, you may surprise yourself and what you can accomplish. If you’re looking to dramatically improve your health, wellness, and fitness this year, deciding to run your first road race may be the best decision you can make. Fortunately, there is no shortage of events from which you may choose, so it’s just a matter of finding an event that is convenient for you. Along the way, during the course of your training, not only can you make tons of new friends who will be supportive of your endeavors, but you can also positively affect your health and maybe even inspire others around you to do the same. You may have to deal with tons of naysayers, people who say that there’s no way they could accomplish the goals that you have, but you can be living proof that if you can do it, anyone can.
Give yourself a chance this year. After all, you owe it to yourself. If you’re not going to take care of you, no one will.
