On - Some running top tips
I read this post by Mijndert Stuij where he offers 7 tips for runners. A couple of them stood out to me.
#1 Stop me if you've heard this one before, but RUN SLOWER (and don't be embarrassed about it). I've seen so many people burn out because they start running at maximum effort right away. Just kind of relax in zone 2, build up your mileage over time and don't worry about speed. Speed will come naturally over time, consistency is key.
I like this one. At my age, I have only one speed, and that’s slow. My daily run is more of a two-mile run-walk-run. Even at that, I still need to remind myself sometimes to slow down; I’m not running a race here.
#7 Lastly, and this is arguably the most important one: don't compare yourself to others. Don't watch those runfluencer video's, don't listen to podcasts, don't sign up for Strava. Running isn't a social network or a contest. It's about you versus yourself. It's your own journey, your own progress. You've won the moment you stepped out the door and started running. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
I used to record all my activity with my Apple Watch, but I stopped about six months ago. It had become a bit compulsive; I had to close all my rings every day. The truth is, there's only one thing I care about: getting at least 8,500 steps in every day.
A few weeks ago, I got a little competitive, logged into Strava, and started tracking my daily run-walk-run like I was training for something. I wasn’t. After a couple of days, I stopped using Strava too.
What I’m training for is a healthy lifestyle. I get 8,500+ steps in every day, some walking, some running.