Hitting the Road by Foot

I’ll never forget going to my first podiatrist when my foot problems started years ago and he insisted that the cause of my problems was that I was a runner. I insisted that I was anything but a runner, and he failed to believe me. At that point in my life, you couldn’t get me to run unless a bear was chasing me. But maybe the one good thing about this doctor was that he had a sense for something that I didn’t yet know. That one day I would be hitting the road by foot.

Once my left foot was better, I decided to give running a shot again. I wasn’t quite sure where to begin. I had tried some of the couch to 5K plans before, and didn’t have much luck. I even tried running on the treadmill without success too. Determined that I’d get my butt in shape, I decided I should reach out to Erica who had been running pretty seriously for awhile. I was a little intimidated to ask for her advice, because she was running miles at a time. I hadn’t run a mile since high school and here I was asking this athlete for running advice. What if she tried to get me to run miles too?

Turns out I had nothing to fear. Her running advice was really simple and completely approachable.

Run as far as you possibly can, and then walk back.

What?! That’s it??? Run as far as I can and walk back?  What if I only make it a few blocks?

Yes, that will be great! Run as far as you can, then walk back. Each time you go for a run you’ll make it farther, because you’ll want to beat what you did before.

This advice was so simple, but so true. Each time I hit the road I made it a little bit farther. I would even break into a run on the way back home. I focused on my breathing and would have 30 to 60 minutes of peace with myself and nature. It was bliss by foot that I had never experienced before. While I can’t say that I’m a lover running, I have found renewed confidence in my ability to run and an appreciation for spending time outdoors.
I’m working on getting myself back out on the road by foot or bike because I need to get healthy. Want to join me? How will you get fit?