I see an increasing number of articles, YouTube videos, and Instagram posts chronicling what runners wish they had known before starting to run. Naturally, it got me thinking about what I would write. After taking some time to reflect on my running journey, I came to a rather simple conclusion: There’s nothing I wish I knew before starting to run. The most important lessons in running (and life) I only could have learned by experiencing it firsthand.
Element of surprise
Over the years I’ve consumed a plethora of running shoe and gear reviews, visited a variety of running stores, and read an abundance of “expert” running advice and tips. None of it made me grow as a runner. Because no matter what you read, watch, or are told, nothing can prepare you for your first training block, race, PR, injury, break from running, or any other significant first. Nor can anyone prepare you for how your perspective on life will change after consistent running, what you’ll learn, or how your body and mind will evolve. You have the privilege of experiencing it all for yourself.
It’s just not feasible to try to seek out every answer before starting to run — just as it’s impractical to believe you can control every life event. Every runner is different, with a different background, body type, experiences, and preferences. What works well for one runner will be severely inadequate for another, and vice versa.
No pain, no gain
Yes, there are plenty of disappointments in running. But as I’ve written before, I firmly believe great disappointments lead to the greatest motivation. Regardless of how much knowledge you gain before you start running, you’re going to fail, often — and that’s a good thing!
Failure is “the essential prerequisite for success” according to a paper based on an analysis of more than 776,000 grant applications. Published by Northwestern University Professor Dashun Wang and his colleagues, the paper’s main takeaways: Not every failure leads to success and it doesn’t matter how persistent you are amid failure. The important part is what you learn from those failures.
“As an anxious introvert, I like to stick to a routine and not step outside my comfort zone. But, real learning comes from venturing off the beaten path.”
Certainly, it’s important to be knowledgeable about your training to avoid injury or burnout. But in most instances, you’re better off braving the unknown. I know, easier said than done. As an anxious introvert, I like to stick to a routine and not step outside my comfort zone. But, real learning comes from venturing off the beaten path.
Kaitlin Woolley, associate professor at the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management, and Ayelet Fishbach, social psychologist at the University of Chicago, sought to study a way to help people advance challenging goals. In their published paper, they found that seeking discomfort inspires growth and motivation.
“People often see discomfort as a sign to stop pursuing a goal, yet discomfort often means you are making progress,” Woolley said. “We find people can harness discomfort to motivate themselves to achieve important goals.”
Go for it
Starting this blog and writing blog posts like this one are perhaps my greatest examples of leaving my comfort zone. I’ve always been a shy and very private person, so it’s quite terrifying putting myself and my writing out into the world for anyone to judge.
I never had social media — except for a few months of Facebook in college where my every post and photo (and monitoring the reaction) felt like the most stressful thing in the world. I never posted a review of a product, place, or business. And I had never left a comment on an article or post. Perhaps it’s because I’ve never felt like I had anything valuable to share with the world. Or maybe it’s due to my anxiety about sounding weird or uninformed.
But now? Now, I’m publishing my own running shoe reviews and publicly sharing my opinions (hot takes included!) and reflections on all-things running. I’m posting photos (of me!) for all to see on The Size 15 Runner Instagram with captions for all to read.
It’s nerve-wracking running a blog and an Instagram account, but my years of running taught me to be brave, to take chances, and to express myself and not care who’s judging. Just as I’ve learned my fair share of lessons running, I can’t wait for what I’ll learn as I continue running this blog.
There are no regrets; every decision I’ve made in my running journey has led me to where I am today, and I’m very grateful for that. So, instead of asking what we wish we knew as runners, I think the more interesting question is, what invaluable lessons will we enjoy learning only through years of running? That’s a question no one can answer for us, and that’s genuinely a wish come true.
