3 ms·

When I started running (or rather, attempted many times over a few years) I hated every moment of it and would regularly quit after literally 60 seconds. I had

When I started running (or rather, attempted many times over a few years) I hated every moment of it and would regularly quit after literally 60 seconds. I had to learn to run very slow to start off. Very soon my pace drastically quickened and anything below 5k felt like a complete cop out. Although years of not stretching has led to regular achilles tendon pain now (at least I think that's the cause). I'm stretching and doing calf raises.

hackeraccount 5y ago
That's one of the weirder things about running. Generally you just say "go out for a run" like there's no skill to - that's it's just effort. Watch a kid run. You quickly realize that they have two paces - flat out sprint and walk. Pacing is something that you learn over time. The opposite extreme of that kid is someone's who's a really experienced runner - my wife for example; it's not that she's incredibly fast but she's amazingly conscious of her pace - if she wants to be consistent she'll run a mile pace that's within seconds for 10+ miles. If she's running a shorter distance she can calibrate her pace. I think that's one of the things I like about running. The other nice thing about it - really about any form of exercise is the discipline it forces on you. Not "I go running everyday" but - I go running as often as it takes to keep me where I want to be while listening to my body to avoid injury. The more you ask of "where I want to be" the more you have to know about stopping not just going. It forces a self awareness that can be atypical.