Can you remember your first run? Are you still waiting to go for it? Last week I asked people to share their memories of their first run on my Facebook page.
It’s easy to look at other runners and think that they find it easy, that they’ve always been able to run as far or fast as they can now and to feel dispirited when you try to run and it feels hard. So below is a reminder that we all have rubbish runs and we all started at zero.
Feel free to share your first run memory in the comments below or over on Facebook. And if you haven’t gone for that first run yet, here’s the prod you need to get you out the door.
I checked the time on the oven and then went out the door and walked to the drycleaner and started running from there. Ran to the end of the street and back, did a few stretches, and went inside to check the time on the oven. Then declared my first “20 minute” run a success and spent the next day hobbling down all stairs!
Laura S (now about to run her third marathon)I remember it vividly! I was 17, 6 stone overweight, suffering from a very long and serious bout of depression and just about to drop out of my A levels. I decided to do running as my Wednesday afternoon sport since it meant I could just wander around the school campus for an hour without any teachers watching!
At first I could hardly run 20 metres without stopping, and some students walked past me and joked that I may as well just walk. One month later I could run a mile (very slowly!) without stopping. It was hard, and far from magical, but there was something in it that kept me at it; I could see myself improving – I could actually see my fitness increasing before my eyes!
Now I’m training for my 2nd ultra, 7th marathon and running is my favourite way to socialise or relax. Actually, I’m pretty sure it saved me. I didn’t drop out of school – I now have a PhD
CatherineMine was with horrible. To be honest it’s never been fun but it has become part of my life. It’s amazing how hard running one minutes felt back then. Although with help and support for my trainer (you) I made it to my first half marathon. I know it’s something I will always keep doing, so for that I am very thankful to Lazy Girl Running (aka my sister).
Emma (my sister – the half marathon runner)My first run was only 18months ago. My fourth baby was just 16 weeks old and I was 37. I had signed up for a online learn to run program with loads of group support. I did run/walk intervals up and down my road, thankful that we lived out of town so nobody would see me doing it. Now I’m hooked, and I don’t care who sees me run. So far this year I have run 400 km, and next weekend I’m doing a half marathon.
KristenI was 24, giving up smoking, fed up of feeling unfit/ breathless and didn’t want to gain anymore weight so started off by doing a Nell McAndrew workout DVD. After a while I could do the whole thing and decided I would add the challenge of a 10 min run/walk round the block. Soon discovered I enjoyed the jog more than I did the DVD and was running round the block 2-3 times. It really hurt at times but 10 years on I’m totally addicted to running and completed 3 marathons so far!
Linds
If you need a little help taking those first steps and working towards your first 5k, I’ve got an e-guide for that. Check it out.
Thanks for this! It’s hard when you’re still in beginner mode to see how far you’ll be able to go. I’m training for a 10K but I feel like I run like a snail. It’s great to see other people’s experiences getting better and stronger with their runs!
It’s also fantastic to see women who started a bit older! I feel like I frequently read stuff from runners who have been at it forever and it can feel like you’ve fallen behind by starting in your 20s.
Remember mine so well! It was just over 4 years ago. I’d signed up for a half marathon in the coming Autumn for a charity close to my heart knowing it would be a huge challenge for me. I chucked on a pair of leggings, a cotton t shirt (cringe!) and as for a sports bra- I didn’t even own one!!! (Double cringe) I run/walked, clocking up about 1.3 miles, I have no idea how long it took me but I felt super proud! Even if my mum thought it was a pathetic effort at the time! It was never something I thought I’d stick to, even now sometimes after 4 marathons I can’t believe it!
Love reading everyone’s stories!
My first attempt at running (cross country at school doesn’t count!) was while I was at university.
I had a week where I just couldn’t sleep so I thought running would help I think I managed about 400m before I felt like I would pass out and walked back home! I was the fittest I’d been in my life- 4 hours of Judo a week and walking atleast an hour a day to lectures- but a short run defeated me.
5 or 6 years later I tried again and 5 months after starting running I completed my first 10k and now I also do triathlons 🙂
I remember running around the block and feeling proud of myself, I got back and my boyfriend told me to take a minute and run it again. My first target for a big run was a mile…. and I felt so proud when I did it 🙂
I’ve been running long enough that I sometimes forget how intimidating those first steps can be, not just in making them on a treadmill or on your block or a trail in a park, but in choosing the equipment you’ll need to get you to the finish line.
nice blog. I see we are both on the top10 list of uk running blogs! Must try harder, I’m only 4th. Must try harder
My first run was just over two years ago, at the age of 55! My new boyfriend was super fit and I thought I should probably try to get a bit fitter just to keep up with him. I bought a book and in it there was a test, part of which asked you to run a mile – the time you took determined your fitness level. A 12 minute mile was what a person of average fitness should expect to run. I thought, well, I’m not super fit but I can surely manage a mile in 12 minutes. So I went out (in the car!) and measured a mile then the next day I set off to jog this route. I couldn’t even run 100 yards without needing a breather and my time for the full mile was 12 1/2 minutes. I was gutted. I decided to try again the next day – I was even slower and came home and burst into tears. A couple of days later I tried again and enjoyed it for the odd few seconds at a time, and from then on I gradually enjoyed it more and more – now I’m hooked and getting faster and stronger all the time!