Running on Purpose

I ran my first mile without stopping at the age of 33 last December. I was previously a person who said I’d only run when chased. To the previous version of me, running seemed like the worst kind of exercise: bouncy and high impact, just me and my body alone with my thoughts and maybe some music.

That all changed when I saw my sister run her first half marathon in the fall of 2024. I saw her collapse into her partner at the finish line with her arms around their neck, forgetting that a volunteer needed to hand her a completion medal. I joined the rest of her support squad in surrounding her with a sweaty, exhausted, celebratory hug. I knew I wanted that feeling of accomplishment, of being proud of my body, of knowing my accomplishments were worth celebrating, and having the support of people I cared about at the finish line.

I started a training plan for a 5k – running on purpose for the first time in my life, which was incredible to see myself progress every week. Soon enough, I could run for five minutes, 10 minutes, three quarters of a mile, and beyond. The journey wasn’t without hardship: two weeks before I was supposed to run a 5k race, the furthest I had ever done, I got pneumonia and had to drop out. I trained for a 10k race in March and didn’t get the finish line experience I longed for because I inadequately prepared my fuel and hydration for the unique needs of my body.

Still, I’ve become mentally stronger and more physically fit than I have ever been. There’s so few things in life that are rewarding fairly quickly. Every week, I was running longer distances without stopping until hitting my current peak of 6.5 miles.

Start Slowly

Studies have shown that even running five to 10 minutes per day at slow speeds reduced risks of death of all kinds and reduces risk of cardiovascular disease. You don’t have to run fast or very long distances to reap these benefits.

Any form of regular exercise improves working memory and focus, contributes to better task switching ability, and provides elevated mood, according to Johns Hopkins.

Plus, for those who struggle to slow down their brains, I found running to be effective at getting me into a zone of breathwork. Running outside away from the everyday stressors of my life gives me space to be at peace, even when my body hurts. Plus, it gave me regular uninterrupted audiobook time!

TIPS for Starting Your Running Journey

1. Do not focus on speed: focus on building up how long you can run without stopping.
2. Define a goal that has nothing to do with distance or speed.
3. Pick a plan and stick with one that works for you. However, know that many popular beginner 5k programs may fall short of a 5k distance.
4. Build slow, sustainable progress with consistency. Slowly running three times a week will be better than forcing fast runs more frequently early on.
5. Use your life experience of living in your own body. For example, if you know you sweat a lot, know that hydration recommendations will be off for you.
6. Rest and recovery can be as important as training days. Learn how your body reacts to hard runs and learn what helps with the soreness. Learn stretches, experiment with heat, massage, and ice to find out what works for you in the early days of training.
7. Invest in running shoes from a dedicated running store from the first run. This will help prevent injury. The shoes your neighbor uses may not be the right kind for you as everyone has different needs and anatomy.
8. Trust the process. A lot of the time you may notice progress. Other runs may feel too hard.
9. Find what works to get in the zone, and know it may depend on the day. Music may work for some days, audiobooks for another. Have multiple resources at your disposal.
10. Know that your body goes through an adjustment period each run from being sedentary to heavy activity and learn what that is for you. Some runners say the first 1-2 miles feel the worst out of any run.