Dave Kuehls - 3 Months to Your First 5k

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Table of Contents

PART 1

THE BIG QUESTIONS

Why Run? Why 3 Months ? Why a 5K?

YOUVE SEEN THEM. On the sidewalks, as you are driving to work in the morning. In the park, as you are walking your dog in the afternoon. And in the evening, as you are gazing out from your front porch. They bounce by on residential streets, on trails, on walkways, their quiet conversations punctuated with laughter. They pull you away from your newspaper, draw you in toward them, as they disappear down the street, like a small parade that has passed you by.

Runners. Theyre everywhere now. Not just ticking off laps around the high-school track, puffing away on a treadmill at the local health club, or clicking a finishing time at the end of a jogging trail.

Runners are everywhere.

And that, admit it, has got you to thinking: Just how can I join them? You wouldnt have this book in your hand, open to the first page, if it hadnt.

Well, youve taken the first step by getting this book. Its aim is to be the most simple, basic running book out there, geared toward preparing the novice for the entry-level distance in the sport: 3.1 miles, or 5 kilometers, otherwise known as a 5K. Consider this book a hand that will reach out to you, helping you make that critical first stepcommitmentand then guide you as you take more and more steps on your way to finishing your first race... to becoming a runner.

You like that phrase, dont you? A runner.

Okay, then. A question: What exactly is a runner?

Is it that super-thin, elite marathoner, who trains twice a day and logs 20 milers on a weekend?

Well... yes.

Or that ex-collegiate runner who trains seven days a week and wins road races weekend after weekend?

Well... yes, too.

Or how about that thirty-five-year-old mom who runs five or six days a week and races maybe ten times a year?

Affirmative.

Hey, but heres a secret: A runner is alsogulpyou.

Yes... you, an average Jane or Joe, maybe a few pounds overweight (or maybe more than a few pounds overweight), who has little or no athletic background, thinks sweating is something to avoid, and last wore gym socks in high-school P.E. class. Or maybe you love to play basketball on the weekends and you love working out in the gym, but youve never participated in an organized race before.

How, you may ask, can someone like you become someone like that?

WHY RUN?

OKAY, YOU WANT to be a runner, but why? What, in addition to the status of being one of the runners in town, can running do for you?

Glad you asked that question, because the answer is: a lot.

Running is good for you both physically and psychologically. Running helps you lose and control your weight. It is fun. Yes, fun. And entering 5K races that are geared toward raising money for worthy causes (like the American Heart Association or a local homeless shelter) is a good way to give back to the community.

Lets take these one at a time.

Your Physical Fitness

Running does a variety of things for you that will not only make running itself more enjoyable in the future, but that will benefit your overall everyday health in general.

Running lowers blood pressure. And helps control it. Exercise widens arteries, so blood flows through them more easily to deliver oxygen to working muscles. Wider blood vessels, less pressure.

Running strengthens the heart: A fit runners heart actually beats fewer times per minute at rest, meaning there is less stress on an already stronger heart muscle.

Running strengthens the lungs: You breathe more deeply and fully, and it takes much more than a walk up the stairs to get you out of breath.

Running builds muscle: You will develop not only in the legs, but in the back and shoulders, the chest and arms .. and the butt!

Running builds endurance: Gradually you can run farther. Also, everyday activities that used to wear you out no longer seem so taxing.

Running strengthens bones: Yes, its true. Weight-bearing exercise causes bones to increase their density. The leg bones of seasoned runners are stronger later in life than those of people who have never run.

Running makes you tired, which makes you sleep more soundly. (Of course when you sleep, you may dream about running.)

Psych 101

Heres a little secret about running that runners often keep to themselves: 99 percent of the time, you feel better after going for a run than you did before. Is there any other activity that can do that for you? (Well, okay, I can think of one thing.)

Quite simply, running is a panacea, and those who run know all too well the withdrawal symptoms they go through when they cant run. Running fights a variety of bad things, while giving you a lot of good:

Running fights depression: The blahs wont affect you as much.

Running fights anxiety: What, me worry?

Running fights stress: The less the better.

Running gives pep: Youll get back that little spring in your step.

Running gives the slide-off effect: Things that used to really bother you now slide off because of your run that day.

As you can see, running is like meditation, therapy, and a mini-vacationall rolled in one.

How does it do all this? Well, when youve accomplished something like a half-hour run, you have a real reason to feel good about yourself. And feeling good about yourself leads to feeling good about many more things.

Weight Room

Running is also the best activity to do when you want to lose some pounds. Its better than walking, swimming, biking, basketball, weight lifting, or playing checkers. It burns more calories per minute than anything but cross-country skiing, which requires more equipment, skill acquisition, and snow than running does.

Also, once you take that weight off, running is the best way to keep from gaining those lost pounds again. After youve burned all those calories, your system metabolizes fat and you lose weight. And then when your body makeup contains less fat and more muscle, you have a higher resting metabolism (meaning youre burning more calories just walking around) because muscle burns more calories than fat does.

In short, running helps you lose weight and keep it off. Better than anything else.

Fun, Fun, Fun

It may not look like it to the cynical nonrunner, but a 3-, 4-, or 5-mile run (even a 10-mile run) can be a lot of fun.

The fun comes in three stages: before, during, and after the run.

1. Before: Youll be gearing up for your run hours or even a day or two ahead of time. Your body and mind get ready, and this focus is actually a positive, fun feeling to have. You anticipate what is to come in stage two.

2. During: The simple act of movement is pleasurable. Then theres the stress release. The lifting of the days burdens. The social interaction if youre running with friends, and by all means, do run with friends. And, finally, that great moment when you know your run is completethe last step before you slow to a walk.

3. After: That first refreshing swig of cold water or sports drink. A brief walk in the sun as you towel off. A little light stretching. That good feeling of earned hunger, and the anticipation of a healthy meal that tastes great (just about everything tastes better when your hunger is real and comes from good hard work).

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