25 Things I’ve Learned in the Past 25 years of Running

Hard to believe I’ve been running for 25 years!

I started running when I was 10 years old–training for the mile in PE class. I remember my dad helping me with plan, telling me to run down to the end of our country road and back, which was about 0.75 mile. Then I would take a day off, and the next time I would run 1 mile. I would have him keep track on our car’s odometer to get exact distances because even then I was Type A and wanted to know how far I was going. I did that for a while before joining track in 7th grade. I ran track every year through my senior year of high school and then joined cross country my junior year.

I continued to run in college for a small DIII school, which was the perfect combination of competitiveness and a fun social outlet with friends. After college, I continued to crave that runner’s high, so would lace up my shoes for a daily run. After awhile I started running races and having success with that, which caused the running obsession that is today.

Over these 25 years, I’ve learned a little about running. 😉 I’m sure I’ll learn even more over the next (hopefully) 25 years of running, but here’s what I’ve learned so far!

1. Injuries are not fun, but they help you become a stronger runner because you are forced to work on your weaknesses.

2. Good shoes are worth the money.

3. Even coaches need coaches.

4. Listen to your gut.

5. Take the easy days easy in order to help you get faster.

6. You’ll never regret a run.

7. There will be highs and lows (a lot of them!) enjoy the highs and use the lows to remember why you keep coming back to it.

8. There’s no failure in giving it your all in a workout or race.

9. Stressed? Conflicted? Sad? Mad? Go for a run! It will probably help, but if it doesn’t, your feelings are authentic.

10. Do speed workout at least once a week to help you become faster.

11. Strength training is incredibly important to help keep injuries at bay.

12. The little things (enough sleep, good nutrition, foam rolling/stretching, etc.) are just as important as the run/workout itself.

13. Not every run is going to be easy and paces won’t always come easy, but give it time, keep showing up, and soon you’ll reach a new level of fitness.

14. Practice running your goal race pace (and sometimes faster) so that pace feels easy on race day.

15. Find someone who can be your biggest cheerleader (spouse, friend, parent, sibling), and consult them when you aren’t sure what to do.

16. Avoid the trap of comparison to previous workouts, races, or training cycles because even though you might not be as fast as you once were, next year you might be injured and not able to run at all.

17. New running clothes still motivate me and give me that extra little push to get out for a run.

18. Food is fuel. Make good choices that will help your performance, not hurt it.

19. Having a baby doesn’t mean you can’t be faster postpartum.

20. All highs are followed by a low, and all lows are followed by a high.

21. Run a race–you’ll be newly inspired and grateful for the running community.

22. Know that there will always be people faster than you and people slower than you. We are all just trying to be the best versions of ourselves.

23. We all lack motivation from time to time. Find something that gives you that little kick to get out the door whether it is joining a running group, hiring a coach, finding a running buddy, picking a goal race, setting out your clothes the night before, or for me it is remembering that feeling of crossing the finish line and accomplishing my running goals.

24. No other physical activity gives me the high that running does.

25. Running is not the end-all, be-all in life, so be sure to have other hobbies to fall back on and a good support network so that when running isn’t going to plan, life can still go on.

For me, there’s nothing like running. It continues to drive me, give me motivation in life, and has helped me solve so many problems. I will continue to do it as long as my body allows me!