Square Peg in a Round Hole
They were laughing at me!
When I first started running, I felt like the proverbial square peg in a round hole, I didn’t receive the “running memo” and my toes curl with embarrassment at the memories of my naivety. The dextrose tablets wrapped up in cling film shoved down my bra, ready to be fished out when I needed a boost of energy. And talking of bras…..
The Great North Run was my first half marathon, it was heaving with runners as I waited nervously on the start line asking myself the usual questions of why I was doing this. There I was in my cotton vest, shorts from the middle aisle of Aldi (before Aldi disrupted the mindset of shoppers, back then you were looked down upon if you shopped at a “discounted” supermarket) when I heard two girls giggling behind me saying something about “look at what she’s wearing” whilst pointing to my 2 bra straps! Yes, that’s right, I had 2 normal, everyday bras on, they weren’t even matching colours, 1 white, 1 black. I didn’t know that there were bras especially designed for female runners, I just thought that’s what people did. Of course, these girls thought it was hilarious and they certainly let me know it; and a sports bra was purchased the very next day!
And I guess it’s funny looking back on it all now,
I so desperately wanted to fit into the running community but I’ve lost count of how much money I’ve spent/wasted trying to become part of it, to assimilate into what a running coach looks like, how they should be, what they should wear, what gadget/app/watch to have plus all the latest hacks!
And, yes, I’ve sat in a bath of freezing cold water, shivering with just a t-shirt on because someone said it made the whole experience more pleasant- it didn’t, I’ve tried the latest gels that I’ve thrown straight back up and I’ve worn bunion correctors that I’ve ripped off within the first mile of a race. I’ve worn new running underwear that I really wished I hadn’t, and I’ve gagged on protein shakes, beetroot juice, collagen powder, turmeric capsules (with black pepper and without it). I’ve eaten protein bagels, protein breakfast cereal and tried running fasted to burn more fat to become more “efficient”. But it always comes back to one thing, other people’s experiences don’t align with my unique qualities, trying to squeeze my sharpe edged squareness into the round hole of the universal experiences of other runners didn’t improve my running performance, it was just exhausting, costly and time consuming.
So what’s the difference between running advice and a running hack?
Hacks are quick and efficient solutions or shortcuts to achieve a specific result, often seen as practical, clever techniques that promise to save time and effort that provide an advantage or edge over others.
Advice is usually about sharing knowledge and experience so others can make informed decisions when tackling their own challenges, however, unlike hacks, advice is not centred around shortcuts or instant solutions, instead, the emphasis is on learning and self-reflection.
But we live in a world that is over saturated with information, so how do you know the difference between a hack or good advice? How do you trawl through the baloney?
Google & YouTube have emerged…..
as one of the most influential and widely used search engines worldwide, it has been designed to organise and make information accessible as it’s algorithms crawl the web to provide users with relevant results based on their search.
Their algorithms can't distinguish between factual and biased information, websites can be created by anyone, meaning there is a potential for misinformation or biased content to be published it is up to the user to critically evaluate the sources and verify the accuracy, authority, and objectivity of the information. But when you are desperate for an answer to support your story, you can usually find it.
Be careful and cautious about where you are getting your information from.
Everyone Has Their Own Mountain to Climb
Go out and have fun, just go running!
We are all different from everybody else, so tune everybody else out because we all have our own Mount Everest to climb.
Stop searching for the next big thing, what works for one person may not work for another. As we become more of a reactive society, with quick fixes within a couple of clicks, pause, will it make a difference to your climb?
Whenever we ask about what did you wish you’d known about running before you started, the answers are never about the hacks!
Find Your Fit
How much better it would make me feel
That you don’t have to be ‘a runner’ to run
How expensive it can be
That it doesn’t have to hurt!
How important proper well fitted (usually expensive) running shoes are but now know they are worth every penny!!
How addictive it can be
The headspace and mindfulness it would bring, that I never knew I needed; and some fab friends along the way
That it can make you feel better when life gets you down
How elated and happy I would feel after each run, with a little tinge of smugness.
That some days running will be hard
How it’s not as bad as it was in my head even though I had run before my head was talking me out of it and loving it again now!
That it’s ok to start in your 50’s, you’re not too old to join in and have fun as well as get fit
how much money I’d spend on running clothes?
It could be so much fun running as part of a team, should have started years ago
Rest days are an important part of the training plan
How much I would hate NOT being able to run
Comparison is the thief of joy
Running rewards patience, success doesn’t happen overnight or even in a year, it’s a journey with highs and lows