I don’t run. Ryan does….a lot.

Ryan has completed two 50 mile races, one 50k, 10 marathons, two half ironmans, three triathlons and too many half marathons/10k/5ks to count. With all of the races he competes in, I always get asked the question, do you run? My answer is always – I don’t run.

To be completely honest, I hate running. I realize there are great benefits in running; it is great cardio and also an efficient calorie burning workout. I wanted to like it, but I hated it.

I think there is a belief that to be in shape and lose weight, you have to run or do some type of intense cardio. Well I am going to say that’s not true (based on my experience). I’ve lost about 90lbs and kept it off without having to run or really do any intense cardio. I just hate running and intense cardio. I know there are people who swear by it and say it lets them work off some steam, which I totally understand. For me though, it is too intense. I feel like my life is intense enough so I get more joy out of yoga and walking plus the random spurts of weight lifting I’ve done because it is more calming for me.

I did give running a try about 5 years ago when I did a couch to 5k program. At that time I was walking maybe 20-30 minutes about 5 days a week and thought I should take it to the next level and start running. Well I signed up for a gym (it was November so I wasn’t about to run outside in MN) and started my 8 week program. For the most part…I HATED it. I was really looking forward to that “runner’s high” I had heard so much about but didn’t think that shin splints, side aches and heavy uneven breath was it (at least I was hoping it was better than that). I think I had about one good run day where I felt like I was in the zone and could go for a long time (which meant like 30 minutes 🙂 ). Besides that one day, I was really struggling through my program. Then when it got to be time for me to actually run a 5k, I threw my back out the week before (I think I sneezed or something stupid like that) so I could barely stand up, let alone run.  Needless to say, I never did my race. It took me almost two weeks to recover from that back injury, and by then, I had lost all of the momentum I had so I just said, “screw it” and gave up on running! 

I went back to my walking routine and never looked back. I was able to lose weight without running so I didn’t feel the need to continue on to prove something to anyone. I would encourage anyone who is trying to lose weight not to get discouraged and feel like you have to run or do intense cardio to lose weight. In reality, they say nutrition is 90% of weight loss anyway, so I would focus on that if you are just getting started. However, exercise is an important part of staying healthy, especially as we age so just baby step your way into exercise by trying different things (talk to your doctor about any exercise routine you are starting).

You have to find whatever you like or else it won’t stick. I started out walking for 15 minutes at 3.0 mph when I was at my heaviest weight and I would be sweating by the end of it. You have to start somewhere right? Now I am only up to 25-30 minute walks most days (that’s all the time I have for it right now) but at a faster pace. Walking plus my yoga practice is enough exercise for me because it keeps me healthy enough to chase after my kids, keeps me strong enough to lift my 50lb 4 year old (we are really tall people in my house 🙂 )and keeps me in a healthy weight range. Those are the things that really matter in life so if someone asks you if you run, say no if that’s not your jam and be proud of it!

With all that said, I know there is a full community out there of runners and doing 5k’s has become rather popular amongst the average population, which I think is great if that’s your jam! As I started out my post saying, my husband Ryan has done his fair share of 5k’s all the way up to 50 mile ultra-races. Well this year he is taking his running to the next level and he is planning on competing in a 100 mile race this fall.  Yes I said 100 miles! The race will take him probably 24 hours or more of straight running/walking. He doesn’t know if it will be more of a challenge to run that far or stay up that long 🙂 He will be doing a lot of training to prep for this long race and he is planning to document it on the blog with monthly posts. The race is in October so he has many months to prepare including doing a few marathons for “training” runs. It will be a huge time commitment for him to train but it is something that he is prioritizing in his life so he will get it done and I will be there to support him through it.

Do you run or are you more of a walking yogi like me?