jody fransch

Last Sunday I ran and finished my first race. It was a 10 kilometer fun-run organized by a local retail outlet (Spar). I decided to enter on the spur of the moment. I’ve been running for about 2 months and thought it would be a good idea to enter a race—just for fun. I wasn’t running to compete, but just wanted to finish. In this post I’ll highlight some of the lessons and insights I’ve learned from my experience.

1. Challenge yourself and make the decision - This is where any journey begins. You have to decide to do something different. No one can make this decision for you. Until you make the decision to lose weight, get in shape, or start exercising, nothing else will happen.

2. Enter a race - This gives you a concrete goal. It makes the training relevant. It also puts a stake in the ground and says, “I’m going to do this.” It might be a 5K, a 10K, a half marathon, or a full marathon. The important thing is to sign up. Once that happens, you’ll be committed.

3. Run your own race – At the start of the race the majority of the pack began with a really fast pace—a lot faster than what I was used to in training. I tried to match their speed but after about 200 meters I decided it was best for me to let the pack go and run my own race, otherwise I would have burnt myself out and risked not finishing the race.

4. Run with a friend - My training buddy and I entered the race together, it was actually his suggestion. He also gave me the motivation to take part and later I guess we motivated each other while we were preparing for it. I honestly don’t think I would have taken part in the race if he didn’t join me. We ran the first few kilometers together before I held back and slowed down a bit. I started to struggle as a result of having the flu — which leads me to my next lesson.

5. Never run when you are sick – I came down with the flu 3 days before the race which really sucked. I knew I shouldn’t have run but I went through with it anyway. I struggled the whole race and felt really terrible, my body was sore and I felt really weak. It was like I hadn’t even trained for the race and felt like I was running for the first time. I know I took a really big risk as exercising with flu can lead to inflammation of the heart muscle. Medical experts also recommend that you only start exercising seven days after recovering from the ‘flu, after which you can gradually return to exercise.

6. Never give up – I must say that after the first 2 kilometers of the race I really felt like throwing in the towel and calling it a day. But I’m thankful that my will and drive to finish prevailed. I just had the end in mind and started visualizing the sense of accomplishment I would feel once I crossed the finish line. When going gets tough…keep going. NEVER GIVE UP!

7. Just do it! - The best way to start running is to … start running. There’s no substitute for putting on your shoes and hitting the trail. I remember when I started running 2 months ago, the first few weeks were the most difficult. I was out of shape and sore. Sometimes, I couldn’t wait to be through with my run. But after about six weeks, something happened. I actually started looking forward to running. I especially love how I feel immediately after running. I feel great and full of energy. But it all comes down to getting started.

Forget about setting records. Your first goal is just to finish—and enjoy the experience.

Question: What lessons have you learned from challenging yourself and trying something new?

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