Running in My Life: A Personal Journey and 8 Tips for Beginners on How to Start Running

Hello everyone,

On April 14th, my phone reminded me through my photo memories that exactly 5 years ago I participated in the Lviv half marathon Run the World 2019.  And I wanted to share with you my story of how I started running for the first time at the age of 36, and how this sport changed my life and remained with me forever.

At the end, I'll give a few tips for beginners from my experience on how to start running.

My Story of How I Started Running

In school, the only subject I struggled with in terms of grades and attendance was physical education. I didn't like either the teacher or his classes. I forgot, there was also choreography - I didn't like that either. In college and later, as I grew older, I became interested in sports through attending group fitness classes, yoga, pilates. I exercised 2-3 times a week, didn't push myself too hard, felt great, sometimes skipped sessions without feeling guilty. I had no dreams of achieving any sporting peaks. And I was happy. That lasted until January 13, 2018.

That evening, my friends and I gathered to celebrate Old New Year. We had already started celebrating, and Iryna, one of the girls, was late. When she arrived, the celebration was in full swing, we had already had some prosecco, and we were in a great mood. Ira explained her lateness by saying that she had been at the gym because she had started running with a coach who had written her a training plan, and today was gym day according to the schedule, and tomorrow she had a morning training session at the stadium, and overall, she was so happy that she got to this coach and how much she enjoyed running.

I don't know if it was the prosecco or her emotional story that influenced me, but I said to her:

-       Ira, I also want to run, can I come to your training sessions?

-       Of course, come. Tomorrow at 7 am we meet at the stadium.

I immediately wrote down the training at 7 am on my phone, set the alarm, and continued celebrating. The next day at 6:00 am, my alarm woke me up, I didn't even realize at first what was happening. We had parted after midnight, had a great time with my friends, and then I remembered the agreement to go to the stadium. I remind you, it was January 14th - winter. It was dark outside, slippery, all covered in snow, with below zero temperatures. Most of the time was spent thinking about what to wear. I knew nothing about running. I chose some leggings, regular socks, sneakers I had (not running ones), a hoodie, a ski jacket, and regular hat and gloves.

It seems to me that the prosecco was still affecting me that morning, otherwise I can't explain why I still went to the stadium. It was still dark outside, a few people came to train, and then he arrived - the COACH. Ira introduced us: "Ruslan Stepanovych, this is Olya. Olya, this is Coach Ruslan Stepanovych." He looked at me without much enthusiasm. It seems that on that day I ran about 1.5 km, did some warm-up exercises, and that was it. Ruslan Stepanovych then said something: all sorts of people come here, and they disappear very quickly when it's time to start working, because running - is running, it's not dancing. Dancing didn't work out for him, just like yoga, pilates, and all that, which was generally unclear for what and for whom, according to his conclusions.

The next day was the next training session at the stadium. That's when we took our first group photo.

Our team with Ruslan Stepanovych

I came back a second time to show the coach that I wasn't like those other people who come and disappear immediately after the first training session. According to my strategy, I was supposed to attend training for about a month or so, and then gradually disappear.

I can't describe the fatigue I felt during the first month, which I experienced every day. My body was shocked from almost daily workouts, either running or in the gym. I was afraid of the coach. He didn't pay much attention to me, said to warm up, then run 2 km, after which I was completely exhausted, and that was it. Somewhere along the way, I ran 100-200 meters, if you could even call it running given the pace I had back then. I went to training wearing a ski jacket and regular sneakers.

After 2-3 weeks, I decided to buy thermal underwear and proper running shoes, but not new ones, because remember my plan - by spring I was supposed to finish my running career. In running groups on social media, someone was always selling something, so I bought my first pair of ASICS running shoes and thermal underwear there.

Training became much more comfortable. The coach checked my pulse on my wrist, later said to buy a running watch that measures heart rate and shows heart rate zones. Well, okay, I thought, I'll buy a Garmin watch, but used, after all, it looks aesthetically pleasing, I can wear it occasionally without even running.

I don't know which expression better describes my running style at the beginning: "my running technique was incorrect" or "it was simply absent." Everything was wrong: from my head, which moved in different directions; to my body, which resembled spaghetti; to my arms, which I didn't know what to do with; tense shoulders; foot placement, because I constantly confused how to put it correctly. I was always amazed at how the coach could see that I was touching the ground again with the back of my foot at the opposite end of the stadium. Now, meeting novice runners, I see all of this from afar, about which the coach then told us. God, how much patience he had with us. A saintly man.

So I survived until the beginning of spring. And it seemed like I was supposed to quit according to the plan. But I already had sneakers, I bought new gear and a cool running jacket for spring, and in general, I was starting to like my running routine. But the coach didn't pay much attention to me. As you may have understood, I wasn't particularly talented in sports, he gave me some simple tasks - and that was it. He paid attention to my friends who were more talented in running. I have to admit, it hurt my ego to some extent. Everyone had a running plan, but I didn't. Gathering courage, I approached the coach after the training and said that I wanted to train with him seriously. He squinted and said "okay." Since April, I already had a "Plan from the Coach," according to which I started training. Running became a part of my life, I started reading a lot about this sport, watching videos, getting interested in shoe models, gear. It was physically very difficult, but I was happy.

Who was the coach I started running with?

All of us who trained with him at that time were members of the Uzhgorod Running Club. And the head of the club invited our coach to work with us. Ruslan Stepanovych worked at a sports school, where he prepared young people for participation in professional competitions and obtaining sports qualifications. If you thought that the coach demanded less from us than from his students at the sports school, you would be mistaken, there was no difference at all. We even had a joke in the group, "The coach is preparing us for the Olympics in Tokyo."

The coach knew how to motivate and inspire, but his style was unique. There were no heart-to-heart conversations like "today you're weak, well, never mind, we'll try again tomorrow... missed 2-3 days because of work/traveling/resting, no problem, we'll catch up..." Our training with him was like this: "are you dancing or doing sports here... I don't see any determination... listen, girl, either you start running or I'll stop the stopwatch, and then you can run zigzags around the field, - end of training... where's the pace??? All these workouts, all these hills are pointless if you're running with short steps... so what if you went somewhere, put your sneakers in your bag and followed the plan in the morning and sent me the results..." And it worked with me. My performance improved.

Training, Racing, Achievements, and Enjoying Time with Running Friends

The seasons changed, the days became longer or shorter, regardless of the temperature outside - I kept running. Distances increased. Snow, rain, frost, fog - these were not reasons not to run, and you just went out in the morning. I fell in love with running in the rain. I acquired a lot of sports clothing, accessories, and footwear for all weather conditions. And sometimes I imagined myself running to the finish line, winning a prize, and then standing on the pedestal, receiving an award.

Starting to run, I found many new friends. Our running club brought together wonderful people from different walks of life. We spent a lot of time together. Joint trips to various competitions in the region and abroad, hikes in the mountains, picnics, birthday celebrations. That period was incredible. 

Our third place with the girls

Ira and I

Kosice Peace Marathon

Ira and I after competition

Running in winter

Running club in the mountains

So passed my first year of running. And at the beginning of 2019, the Coach made a race plan for us, indicating who would participate where and at what distance. In spring, I was supposed to run 3 km at the Lviv half marathon and an relay race with three other girls at a distance of 21 km in regional competitions. Of course, it wasn't just about participation, the Coach expected results from us. We trained a lot.

And then the day of the race came, it's impossible to describe my fear. Intellectually, I understood that I'm not a professional athlete and it's not the Olympics, but the excitement was incredible. Start. We start running. Hundreds of people participate in the race. Somehow I run among people and then I see the road ahead leading uphill. My thought: "Oh, these hills again." Running uphill is hard, and running at speed is almost impossible. I run. Then downhill and it seems like I'm coming out onto the road that leads to the finish line. Supporters on the sides behind the fence. And then I realize that I'm alone and there's no one around me among the runners. I slow down and think: "I ran the wrong way from other race participants." At that moment I hear the coach's voice shouting, "I SAID RUN!!!" And I start running again. Finish. Organizers come up to me and ask for my name because I finished third. I can barely breathe and I don't understand anything at all. I go to the Coach and say:

-       Ruslan Stepanovych, they say I finished third.

-       I know. Why did you stop on the home stretch? - the Coach asks.

-       I thought I went the wrong way...

-       Well done, Girl! Congratulations.

The Coach was pleased with my result. And then I was on the pedestal and hundreds of people applauded me when I was awarded third place. Everything was like in my dreams.

Lviv half marathon 2019

Reward ceremony

My coach and I

How did my life change when I started running?

In the evening, we celebrated, and the coach made a toast that I remembered:

"Our brain doesn't differentiate when we go beyond our physical or mental capabilities in sports or any other sphere of life. It's all the same to it. Therefore, through systematic work, and sometimes even pain in sports, we develop and grow in all areas of life. We become more resilient, both physically and psychologically."

Running has definitely changed me. I really became stronger, or rather, more resilient to various life situations, I began to demand more from myself, it's not always pleasant, sometimes scary, but in such moments I ask myself: "you don't want to quit this distance, do you?" And I keep running "through life."

Now I don't have such training sessions as I did with the coach. I'm no longer preparing for competitions, but I continue to run 2-3 times a week, wherever I live. In Bali, where I am now, all the dogs within a radius of 5 km know me in different directions, as well as the locals I meet between 6 and 7 in the morning because it's not hot then and it's best to run. Running is an integral part of my life yesterday, today, tomorrow, always...

Running in Bali

From my running experience, I want to share some simple tips that will help beginners on how to start running and, most importantly, make it a regular activity.

1. If you haven't started running yet, start, regardless of your level of physical fitness, age, profession, or place of residence. We always find reasons why not today, but the perfect moment may never come - so just start running today.

2. Learn the correct basic running technique, how to breathe during workouts, what pace and heart rate zones are. If possible, find a coach who can explain everything, if not, there is the internet, YouTube, social networks. There is a lot of useful free information there. Try to find a running club for enthusiasts in your city, where you can meet other runners with different levels of training, where club members share their experience with each other, help newcomers.

3. Surround yourself with people who are also interested in running. These can be friends, partners, colleagues, the same running clubs. It's both support, motivation, and sharing experiences with like-minded people.

4. Pay attention to clothing, footwear, and accessories for running. Comfort during running is very important.

5. Get a running watch. It's a real helper without which it's hard to imagine a modern runner.

6. Have a goal. You must have a goal: "I want to run 5 km in 3 months... in half a year, 10 km in __ minutes... participate in a half marathon in a year... and so on."

7. Running plan. To achieve your goal, you must have a training plan. If you have a coach, that's great, there will be a plan. If you don't have a coach, there are running apps on phones where there are plenty of ready-made plans for any sports goal.

8. Don't stop. Often I notice that it's easier for people to start running than to maintain a constant running routine over time. Remember the words of my coach when you don't feel like going for a run in the morning anymore, it's at that moment you need to overcome your "can't... not today... don't want to" - and run. And at that moment, when we overcome our "can't," we develop our abilities.

Happy running to everyone!

Until we meet again,

Olya.