Most of the people, who are into endurance sports end up there in their thirties. People start having more stress in life, due to work, young families, health starts to deteriorate and doctors tend to advice different kind of endurance sports to stay fit.

My motivation to start Jogging

I also took up jogging a few years ago, when I entered my thirties. I was battling insulin issues and my doctor suggested that I start jogging. The whole experience of jogging regularly has been good and has made me happier and fitter. I got some nice tips on how to start jogging as a beginner and I hope my journey will also help you to start jogging.

How I began to run

My biggest challenge for fitness is I am a couch potato. I can spend hours in a sofa, cuddling with a book and I needed to overhaul this habit completely.

• I was told to start small and be consistent. On the first couple of months I would try to run one or two kilometers only. The runs would be very slow, I took a lot of walking breaks.

• The second issue was going for a run consistently, at-least twice a week. It was not easy for me. If I went for run on a Monday, I would schedule a run on Wednesday. On Wednesday, I would be too tired to motivate myself to go out for run after work. So I will reschedule on Thursday and then I would work late on Thursday and not want to run on Thursday. Fridays were for going out. Initially, I had to motivate myself really strongly on the scheduled day. I would plan a small prize for me if I ran on the day, like one scoop of ice-cream or an extra hour in front of the tv.

• After I had run for about a month and half, I slowly got into the routine. I didn’t want to spend too much money on gears in the beginning and was just running/fast walking in my old gym shoes and gym clothes. The next step to motivate myself and take running seriously was to buy a proper running shoe, a pair of running bottoms and top for the upcoming cold weather.

Having a proper running shoe was an extra motivation to go out and run. But I am glad I did not buy a lot of gear beforehand and only when I started needing it.

Setting a goal

The third step was to set a small goal, like entering a 5k race somewhere. It is really difficult to practice something regularly without a set goal. We have a habit of ignoring that which does not actively become a priority. My boyfriend luckily is involved into sports a little more than me and he found a small 5k race. There was about six to seven months to prepare for the race but I needed the time.

I was new to running, was not used to the rhythm at all and I still fell sick if I went out in the cold. The six months sounded a good enough time to train for a race of about 6km. Looking back, I shouldn’t have had so much preparation time. I grew complacent a bit and always rescheduled knowing I have enough time.

Preparing a practice schedule

About 8 weeks before Race Day, I realized I was no where prepared to run. I could run about 3 kilometers but it was with walking pauses and not really fit enough to run even 5k. I sat down with my calendar and planned a practice schedule. My boyfriend drew the schedule up. I had to give the race priority and was running three times a week according to the schedule.

One of the day, I would try to cover a little more distance while running, even with walking pauses. Another day I would try to increase endurance by running intervals without pauses and the small pause and then running again. Third day was just running as I felt

Race Day

The race I chose was a little difficult. It was a run in the local zoo, with elevations and was about 6.7 km. I could manage to run about 4.5km a week before the races. I was confident I could finish and I only wanted to run and finish. My boyfriend’s parents were running the 10k with me. So I even had company.

After the first 200m I was out of breath and thirsty and I thought to quit. Then I persevered and kept going, sometimes just walking the uphill route but made it to the finish line at 54:51s.

Running future

I have run a few more 6k races after that. Sometimes I prepare well and run well, sometimes I do not prepare that much and run badly.

However, I have decided to take running more seriously and so I am training for a 10k race. I need a goal to run regularly and motivate myself to train. A 10k run is not something a beginner like me can phone in and not practice and prepare. With a 10k run, I can compete in bigger and more prestigious running events as quarter marathon runner.

I am training for the 10k these days. The race is scheduled in the beginning of October. I hope to write more about that preparation in the coming posts.