The trails along Town Lake are a great place to start running in Austin.
photo by: Donnie Hogan
That being said, I have come across several strategies to running that have helped me hate it less and boost my confidence level after every run.
Today I want to suggest setting small goals.
Running is not the easiest hobby to pick up. Too many people make a conscious effort to get in shape by running, but try to do too much too quickly, burning out themselves and their bodies. Rather than spontaneously attempting to train for a marathon by running randomly until your legs fall off, start slow. Time yourself and set modest goals for each run.
Start with one mile, 2-3 times a week. Very quickly, you’ll see your finish times decrease as your build up strength and stamina. Then you can increase your runs to two miles, three miles, etc. Town lake in Austin is a great place to start because there are mileage markers to help you track your progress (bottom right).
Take advantage of the mileage markers around Town Lake to monitor your progress.
For example, my fiance and I decided to run together in this year’s Capital 10K (discussed by Hannah in a previous post). In order to train, we started slow, running from Auditorium Shores to the Lamar Bridge and back, about 1.56 miles. Then we increase our run to the Mopac bridge and back, about 4.55 miles and yesterday for the first time ran from I-35 to Mopac and back, about 7.12 miles.The point is you don’t have to be a phenomenal athlete to participate in runs like the Capital 10K. Start slow. Set modest goals. Gain confidence when you meet your goals and gradually increase the bar you set for each run.
If you do this, I promise running will become more gratifying and you’ll begin to hate it less while gaining confidence with each run.
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