How to become a runner
Plus: the millennial dad dividend, an iron mill tour, and more
Good morning! It’s Wednesday, and here’s this week’s post.
A take I haven’t written elsewhere
How to become a runner
During my normal writing time this week, I was instead speaking to the Center for Christianity & Public Life’s young professionals group. (Check it out, youths.) Thinking about what I might write for you in advance, irrespective of the news cycle, I hit on this, in the spirit of prior guides I’ve written on throwing a cocktail party, organizing a supper club, and—long ago, tragically lost to the decay of the internet—writing a research paper.
NB: This is not for the particularly athletic, nor am I anything close to a doctor or physical trainer. Proceed accordingly.
How to get started
Your first goal is 2 miles outdoors. Plan a course, a loop or just out and back. (I use the “create routes” tool in Map My Run, which lets you check for sidewalks in Google street view and also shows elevation so you aren’t surprised by big hills.) Pick a good day. Spring and early summer are excellent times in much of the world. Go out and do it. To begin, run as far as you can. Then walk as far as you must. Then run some more. Do this over and over until the 2 miles are done. This is a good distance because most people of a sedentary lifestyle can do 1 mile in 20 minutes just by walking, so if you run at least some of it, you can do the whole thing—from putting on running clothes to showering and getting back into regular clothes—in an hour flat.
Keep doing this three times a week, every week. Do the same course every time so you don’t have to think about it. Gradually run more and walk less until you can run the whole 2-mile course.
After that, work up to 3 or 4 miles, three times a week, running the whole way. Do this by adding half a mile at a time. Don’t add the next half until you have comfortably run your new distance three times.
How to keep going
Maintenance: Once you can reliably do 3 or 4 miles, do that three times a week for a year. Your speed will improve a bit. Your stride may get better. You’ll develop better muscle memory. But the main thing you’re doing is setting a habit, making running part of your routine across four seasons. You’re learning what to wear in what weather and how to handle various schedule disruptions. Crucially, if you have or want to have small kids who will constantly bring viruses into the house, you’re learning to get back out there after every single cold or flu bug.
Pace: For many people, a 10-minute mile will prove a pretty natural pace once you can do 3 miles without any walking breaks with relative ease. If you’re younger or male, you might go as low as 7 or 8 minutes. If you’re older or female, maybe as high as 12 or 13. Don’t feel bad if it’s slower than that. This is a ballpark range.
Goals: After a year, consider whether you want to go longer distances and whether your body, schedule, and responsibilities will permit it. (Don’t make your spouse suffer for your long runs!) Right now, I run four days a week, 4-mile minimum, something like 4 on Monday, 5 on Tuesday, 7 on Thursday, and 5 on Saturday. But it varies in different seasons, both literally and figuratively.
Weather: That said, don’t take full seasons off. Run through the winter, even if it’s cold and icy. (In terms of balance, it’s often easier to run in the snow and ice than to walk in them.) Run in the summer, even if it’s hot and humid. Change the time of day if needed. I’ve run through Minnesota winters (in temperatures as low as 0°F with snow and ice) and summers (in temperatures as high as the 90s and humid). You can do it. Your body will adapt more than you expect.
Gear: Yes to water belts (not backpacks, and never the bottle in the hand). No to tech (more on this below). Yes to salt tabs and energy chews for 7+ miles (I exclusively use the Honey Stinger brand). No to sunscreen unless you’ll be out for over an hour in the high summer sun; it drips and stings in your eyes. No to sunglasses; you’ll adapt. Get Body Glide if you’re chafing.
Treadmills: I’m deeply opposed outside of unavoidable hotel situations. It is so much more mentally difficult, even if you watch a show or something. Just torturous. There’s a reason we describe hamsters on wheels with a certain pity.
Technique: Inexperienced male runners tend to waste energy vertically. Focus your effort on moving forward instead of bouncing so much. Inexperienced female runners tend to waste energy horizontally. Make your lower arms go straight in front of you instead of diagonally across your torso and the rest of your body will follow. If you have trouble with your breathing, try doing two breaths in and two out instead of one of each.
Endurance: It will get easier and easier and easier with time. Some of this is about physical fitness increasing, but mostly it’s about mental endurance, both because you are practicing and because you are aging. Running is still getting easier for me, 19 years in.
About races
Timing: I recommend waiting until after that first year of habit-setting before you bother with any race.
Purpose: Before 2024, I’d never run any race shorter than 10 miles, and since then I’ve done one 5 miler and one 10k (about 6 miles). Mostly I do half marathons (13.1 miles), because for me the purpose of a race is usually motivation to reach a distance that I might not otherwise reach. This is why I’ve never run a 5k (about 3 miles): I don’t need extra motivation to run that far. So figure out why you want to run a race and choose accordingly. If you’re not fast enough to win, not running with friends, and/or don’t need the motivation to hit your desired distance, you may not want to race. It’s expensive, and they foist these useless shirts on you.
Distance: Personally, I’ve never gotten to the end of a half marathon and found in myself a desire to run any farther. On the other end of things, as I mentioned, below 10 miles or so is not usually useful to me. See what makes sense for your goals and interests.
Training: There are a lot of fancy plans out there, especially for longer races. Unless you are fast and ambitious enough that you really want to do speed work—in which case you probably aren’t reading this guide, because you are better at running than I am—don’t bother. Here’s my formula: Do three or four runs a week as schedule permits. One of them is your long run. Start at whatever distance you’re comfortably doing, then add one mile per week to your long run until you hit race distance. (Do the full distance pre-race for the psychological benefit of knowing you can do it). For the other two or three runs per week, make sure the total mileage matches or exceeds that week’s long run. For example, a 13-mile long run could be preceded by short runs of 4, 5, and 6 miles, totaling 15, which is more than 13. Don’t worry about your pace. Just run the whole way every time. Skip the long run the week before the race to rest. On race day, speed up a little.
About shoes
For several years now, the stylish thing has been to wear giant shoes with very thick, soft foam soles and, if you have cash to burn, a springy carbon plate inside that makes you go marginally faster.
If you’re reading this and finding it helpful, you don’t need to bother with the plate.
Indeed, especially if you are north of 30, I would strongly advise you go clear in the other direction. Get a minimalist shoe from a brand like Xero. I haven’t used them yet, but they’re well-regarded and are my likely choice when my current shoes (shown above) all wear out. You want a thin sole, wide toe box, and zero drop (which means your heels are not elevated above your toes).
One great thing about minimalist shoes is they take forever to wear out. Unlike those big fluffy ones, there’s so little foam to compress that they pretty much feel the same two or three or five years in as they did new. Wear them until they fall apart.
Besides the financial benefit, with all due disclaimers about my lack of medical expertise, I strongly believe they prevent injury, particularly to the knee, hips, ankles, and arches, if used correctly. It is absolutely crucial to ease into wearing these shoes if you don’t want to hurt yourself; you can find many guides to this online. For me, to start, it meant going from easily running 4 miles to barely finishing 1 mile.
But I quickly built my distance back up, and I went from having increasing knee pain and regular sprained ankles through my late teens and early 20s to no knee pain and no sprained ankles1 from my mid-20s into upper 30s. Minimalist shoes force you to shift from a heel strike to a fore- or (more likely) mid-foot strike. In my experience, this causes you to develop more muscles, particularly in your feet and up the back of your leg into the hips, while letting you bend your knees less while running, reducing wear and tear. It’s also safer if you’re running on ice. Look into it, at least!
About clothes
Where to spend money: Clothes are less important than shoes, especially in the early days, so if you’re trying to avoid investing a lot in the beginning, prioritize good shoes. If you want to get really nice stuff, though, go to Tracksmith. (For women, you can sometimes find used Tracksmith on Thredup.)
Materials: Everyone loves tech fabrics now, but they smell disgusting if you so much as look at them. I do have some items that are nylon or something like that, but for shirts in particular, I favor wool and cotton. They smell less and wear better. They feel cooler and, contra rumors on the internet, are not more prone to chafing. And again, you’re not Usain Bolt: An extra ounce or two of shirt weight isn’t going to matter for you.
Laundry: Look, just don’t do it very often. You’re outside. No one can smell you. Even if they can, who cares? It doesn’t matter. Everyone knows you sweat when you exercise. Your stuff will last longer and your life will be easier if you wash it less. I wash running socks and bras maybe once every three runs, shirts perhaps once a month, bottoms once every few months, jackets and other outerwear perhaps twice a year. It’s fine. Air your stuff out as soon as you take it off. Hang it in an open window or across a chair. Drape it across your bed. This is sufficient. And again, natural materials will smell less.
Weather: Systematically figure out and write down what clothes work for you at every 15-degree range of weather in your area. Personally, I’m okay with starting a little cold in the winter, but I’d rather start reasonably comfortable and do most of the run with an extra shirt tied around my waist than start freezing and only warm up 30 minutes later (especially if it’s only a 40-minute run). I also find I get colder again as I tire toward the end of long winter runs, so I often end up putting clothes back on then. Decide what you prefer.
About tech
It may come as no surprise that my overall take is: Don’t. I run with no tech and have done that for about five years now. It’s better this way. But to get more specific:
Smartphone: Absolutely not. It’s physically too heavy. There’s no good way to carry it so that you don’t feel it. Maybe some belts work okay, but I’m skeptical. Definitely do not put it in a pocket or on any of your limbs. Best-case, it’s in your ambient awareness the whole run. Worst-case, it messes up your whole stride.
Strava: Hard pass. Embarrassing. You do not need social media about running.
Entertainment: If you must run with music or a podcast, I advise getting a small, light, preferably clip-on mp3 player specifically for this purpose. But over time, see if you can go on longer and longer runs without it. Use this time to be alone with your thoughts, notice your neighborhood, pray, whatever. Take advantage of time during which you are entirely unavailable to others.
Pacing: Look at the clock when you leave. Look at it again when you come back. Do the math. Learn to run at the right pace because you know what it feels like, not because a smartwatch is prompting you.
Emergencies: Go into a store. Flag down a car. Knock on a door. Yell. Read Jane Jacobs to understand why you should be running in occupied areas and both acting as and availing yourself of eyes on the street.
About etiquette
Strollers, etc.: Always give way to anyone with a stroller, other baby conveyance, a toddler, a walker, wheelchair, or any other mobility aid. Go on the grass or in the street if you must. Stop and wait for them to get past if you must.
Dogs: Always give way to dogs unless the owner unmistakably instructs you that it’s safe to come close. You don’t know what a strange dog will do. You don’t know how strong or prudent the owner is.
Kids on bikes: Always give way to children on bikes on the sidewalk. They are likely too small to safely ride in the street, and it’s good that they’re outside.
Adults on bikes: Probably give way to adults riding bikes on the sidewalk if they really refuse to give way to you, but never look happy about it. They should be in the road. The fact that they aren’t suggests they’re not confident riders, and you don’t want to suffer the consequences of having them crash on top of you.
Cars: Never give way to cars when you have the right of way unless your life is in danger. It is their job to stop. Teach them. Be an aggressive pedestrian. Do not break stride. Do not smile and hesitate. Do not give them a thank you wave merely for doing the right thing. Maybe you grant them a nod. Of course, do stop if it’s dangerous not to stop, especially if you’re not sure that the driver has seen you. Well, or unless you want to make your money the old-fashioned way …
Crosswalks: Sneak across if you safely can. Wait if you must. Don’t jog in place; it looks stupid and doesn’t make a difference. Pace in irritation, stretch a little, blow on your cold hands, get a drink of water.
Spitting: Be careful where you spit. Never spit toward someone. Never spit at someone’s house, car, business, or church. Spit toward the road or on a tree not clearly associated with any property.
Passing: Generally people will notice you’re coming and move aside. If they don’t, say “on your left” or “on your right” and pass on that side. In the U.S., left is usually better because it matches what we do on the road.
Greetings: Nod and make eye contact when you approach someone. The nod should be downward, not upward, which is a little too much. If they greet you, try to return it unless you’re just too winded. If you can’t speak or smile, try a wave. Also wave to people you routinely see in their yards or on their porches, especially old people. If someone clearly doesn’t want to engage, don’t worry about it.
Bathrooms: It’s fine to use a portapotty if you find one unlocked and unattended. It’s also fine to politely ask a business to use their toilet, even if you’re not buying anything. That said, not a bad idea to always keep a $20 on you just in case you absolutely have to be a customer.
For women
If you get catcalled: This is very rare in my experience—far rarer than internet discourse suggests. Like, less than once a year for almost two decades of running across rural, suburban, small town, and urban settings. Far more often old men will speak to me to say something corny but benevolent, like, “Run a mile for me!” If you do get catcalled, though, don’t respond. Don’t flinch. Don’t make eye contact. If someone yells from a car, don’t look around. Ignore and keep going.
If you have a baby: Follow guidance from your midwives and doctors, and get back out there. Start at 1 mile; work up. If you have trouble with incontinence, new hip pain, or anything else wrong in the core of your body, that is not normal. It is not just the price of having kids. Seek physical therapy for your deep core, pelvic floor, and related muscles. If you can’t afford it or it’s not available in your area, I recommend exercise regimens by @getmomstrong, @goodfortheswole, and @ourfitfamilylife on Instagram. They’re all good, but the latter in particular was very helpful to me in recovering from diastasis recti and associated hip pain.
Intake
Why Christians Should Be Leftists, by Phil Christman, to review (finally finished this; look for the review at Mere Orthodoxy later this year)
I’ve had family in town and have been pretty slammed with that. We did this tour of a former iron mill that was pretty cool, and also the Monongahela Incline
In full vegetable mode after our visitors left, I watched all of Sirens on Netflix, my first TV binge in years
Output
New work:
The millennial dad dividend | Christianity Today (unlocked link)
Ukraine’s bold but miscalculated strikes | Defense Priorities (newsletter)
Newly relevant work:
As mentioned, before going over how to become a runner and how to throw a cocktail party, I wrote at The Week in February of 2018 about how to start a supper club:
4. Stay low-key.
This is the most important rule on the list. Maybe you’ve seen The New York Times’ guide to hosting a dinner party. It’s thoughtful and comprehensive, and no doubt makes for a beautiful evening. DO NOT USE IT FOR YOUR SUPPER CLUB. If you do, you will not have a supper club for long.
A viable supper club is a low-key supper club. A chill supper club. A supper club where it is totally fine to serve sandwiches.
Read the rest here.
well, except one time when my foot fell into a hidden hole in the grass and got stuck, and our very strong dog kept on running at full speed, and there was an extremely loud and awful pop, and the nurses were sure it was going be a bad break. But no shoe or muscle development could have prevented that sprain, so I don’t count it for these purposes.
Okay, I started reading your post and was admiring all your hard work as a runner. And then, when I got to Xero shoes, I had to comment! Oh my goodness, Bonnie- you are one of the first women I know who wears those shoes! My husband is obsessed with them and only wears them to work out, lift weights, run, etc. To the point where he walks in their sandals all summer long to the embarrassment of our children LOL. He has been working on strengthening his ankles and these flat/natural feet shoes have helped a ton! Great essay and good advice for aspiring runners.
That's a really good guide for beginning running. It was almost the same journey for me over 19 years, but I have never done a race and I run less now and take the dog with me always. All that being said, no way I'm wearing anything I have ran in more than once without washing it!