STARTING OUT OR STARTING OVER
Top 10 Tips for Runners: Advice, Injuries, & Support.
Plus! Bonus Habit Shaper and Willpower Builder
Copyright 2021 Kate Champion
All rights reserved.
Published by Mountain Morning Press, Ltd.
ISBN: 978-1-7344806-2-7 (paperback)
ISBN: 978-1-7344806-3-4 (ePub)
Also available for Kindle
Design, layout, and pre-press: Lighthouse24
Cover graphic: Lisa Kolbasa
Publishers Legal Disclaimer
This book presents a wide range of opinions about a variety of topics related to physical health, mental health, diet, exercise, and general well-being including certain ideas, treatments, and procedures that may be hazardous without proper medical advice. The material presented is not intended as medical and/or healthcare advice. Please consult your healthcare provider before starting any supplements, diet, and/or exercise program. The author, the publisher, and any participants disclaim responsibility for any adverse effects directly or indirectly from any information contained in this book.
To all those
with the courage
to start out or start over
Contents
The willingness to show-up changes us.
It makes us a little braver each time
Brene Brown
Introduction
THE IDEA FOR THIS BOOK literally came to me in the middle of the night. That creative part of my brain insisted that I get up and make some damn notes. In that sleepy fog, I saw myself crafting this little book along with its siblings of course, its a series! I imagined them like little messengers, offering valuable information, support, and encouragement, serendipitously falling into the hands of people who need them. Written from the heart, with efficiency in mind, this book is short and to the point. No BS. No artificially generated content. No gimmicks. No tricks. I hope youll find it helpful.
Its a familiar story, I have spent the last twenty-five years of my life raising a family, running a home, building a career I am a mental health professional; now in private practice. I have chased horses, taken care of dogs, run more errands than humanly possible, cooked enough meals to circle around the sun and back, driven a zillion miles, sat in countless life-sucking meetings gazing out of the window wishing I was out on the trail somewhere all in the spirit of loyalty, love, and commitment. Let me be clear: I am not complaining well, maybe a little bit, especially the part about having to sit in all those life-sucking meetings. I chose those paths and wouldnt change them for the world.
Curiously, I find myself in an interesting place. Probably due to two factors: my children have blossomed into self-sufficient, well-adjusted adults, out in the world doing their own version of life. And, after much deliberation I resigned from my big girl job after fifteen years of service. With the job gone and kids out of the house it feels like I can see space on my proverbial plate again.
For some people this is scary. For others, its a sweet spot where we get another opportunity to start something new or start something over; to decide how we want to fill our plates based on our values, our interests, and who we are at this point in our lives. When I reflect on my Whats next? the answer is pretty clear: grow my private practice, write, and spend as much time as possible outside exploring nature mostly on foot running, hiking, backpacking.
Athletically, I consider myself a late bloomer. Although I started road running that sounds way grander than any of my actual effort in my teens; I discovered trail running in my late forties. Seemingly overnight, the trail, and all things green, and piney, and muddy, and far away from civilization became my happy place. I started backpacking in my mid-50s, which as an aside also provided the inspiration for my first book Never Too Late: Inspiration, Motivation, and Sage Advice from 7 Later-in-Life Athletes.
By all accounts, I aim to squeeze another thirty years or so out of this life, which is good because my brain continues to send up lots of ideas for the next project or adventure. Frankly, it feels like I have more book concepts and bucket list ideas on my to-do list than lifetime left to accomplish them.
A long time ago I heard a someone describe life in a way that still strikes me. I quote:
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming WOW! What a Ride! Anonymous.
At its core, this book regardless of age or ability is all about advocating, supporting, and inspiring people to start out or dust off a path which may have been misplaced during the messy skirmishes of life.
What can you expect to learn in the following pages? Well, youll find an extension of my experiences as a later-in-life athlete sprinkled with my background as a counselor, and advocate, who helps people build habits and sustainable lifestyles. More importantly, you will also encounter wisdom sage advice from your peers, other back-of-the-packers, in all ages, stages, and phases of life.
Written in sections, you can read traditionally, from cover to cover, or you can skip around using information as you need it. Personally, and professionally, I enjoy working with people who are learning something new or starting over. Be it a habit, a behavior, or a skill Section One is all about starting out or starting over.
A funny thing about starting out, and starting over, is that we forget that we are naturally experts in both these areas. Think about all the times you have started something from nothing or had to begin again. That starting energy if framed in a helpful way can be harnessed and used as a superpower more on that later.
This line of thinking leads us naturally to Section Two where we learn about how habits are built and maintained, and the role that willpower plays in the process. This section presents some fresh concepts about habit building. By the time you finish reading and working through the questions in this section you will have a better understanding about the what, why, and how of your personal habit-building process. In Section Two youll create your own habit-building map, along with an action plan that enhances the potential within your window of tolerance. If this sounds puzzling no worries; these are new concepts. I will guide you through this section using real life examples, helpful hints, and tips. If youre serious about creating a sustainable running habit or dusting off that running habit you used to have, then this is the place for you!
Then we jump into the Top 10 Tips with Sage Advice Section Three. Pretty simple really. No smoke and mirrors here, just authentic tips, sage advice, and inspiration from people in the running community. Folks who have been there and done that. Its the community aspect that makes this my favorite section. No artificial intelligence or computer-generated data just down to earth information straight from your peers directly to you.
Lets face it, if you move, you are likely to get injured. Recently, I went through a six-month cycle of recovering from various injuries. I had my first ever broken bone resulting in surgery in my mid-fifties, three weeks before my bucket list Grand Canyon rim-to-rim hike was scheduled. So frustrating. Then, while running, I tripped over thin air and smashed both knees on the concrete. Then flu season arrived and I was hit hard by a bout of the flu. After the annoyance cleared, I could remind myself that I have run, hiked, and backpacked thousands and thousands of miles over my lifetime with nothing more than an irritating tweak or ache here and there.
