How to make running easier 

1. Breathe right.

I ran cross-country in high school. It was fun, but training still sucked(see above). My coach kept stressing to take deep breaths. I could never really figure it out. When I concentrated on taking deep breaths, I felt like I wasn’t getting enough air, does that even make sense? Well, I have found a way that help.
When I am running,  I let my breaths mimic my quick heart-rate, but when I feel my lungs getting tight, like they aren’t filling up all the way, I force my lungs to take one huge deep breath, and most of the time, my lungs will open up and receive the air. I usually take this breath about once a minute, and it makes all the difference. Sometimes, my lungs feel ready for that deep breath, but they don’t open up and receive the air, so I have to try again in a few seconds. This sounds strange, but it has helped my running time and distance greatly. Make sure to also exhale completely and force out the stagnant air.

2. Run for at least 30 minutes

This is especially important if you are just starting out. There is no better time to start jogging than right now! I won’t sugar-coat it, your first jog after a mainly sedentary lifestyle is going to be hell, but it will get better! Always shoot for 30 minutes. There is something magical about that number. I used to jog regularly for 20 minutes, and it was always hard and really horrible, but once I started jogging for 30 minutes, my lungs, muscles, and heart really strengthened, and it made my jogs much easier. You DON’T have to run the entire 30 minutes. Just run as long as you can, then walk until you catch your breathe. The key is to keep moving for 30 minutes. You will be surprised how much longer you can run even on the next run you take.

3.  Empty Stomach

I am not saying to fast the whole day before your jog, just don’t go right after dinner or after a huge breakfast. Your body will be using all of its energy digesting your meal, and you won’t have any left for your run. For me, 2-3 hours after a meal works really great. I also avoid chugging lots of fluid before my run as well. It usually sits in my belly and gives me a nasty side ache.

4. Good Shoes

I mostly ran with cheap shoes, until I broke down and bought good ones (and my husband finally convinced me to be less cheap!).  Let me tell you, it is definitely worth it. Be on the lookout for good deals, you don’t have to pay an arm and a leg. Running sucks enough, you don’t want to worry about aching ankles or knees afterward (or during).

5. Music

This might be a no-brainer, but bring your music! I have a tutorial HEREon how to make a custom running armband for your ipod or phone. It’s easier to run if your mind is distracted a little bit.

6. Be Consistent

If you stop running, you will lose all your hard work. Your heart, lungs and legs will lose the endurance and strength that they have built, and your running will go back to sucking! Shoot for 3 times a week. That’s not so bad, right?

This is  not a complete list, but these are few things that have helped make running easier for me (so I don’t completely despise ever second of it). 

Do you have any tips on how to make running easier? (or even just bemoan how horrible it is?)
Let me know in the comments! 

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When I was a kid and I was experiencing  a hard time, I would think of some future event in time to help me get through it.

By the time this test if over, track season will have started. I can make it. 
When this paper is due, it will be Thanksgiving break. I can do this. 

I lay in the PICU, staring at my bloody knee. When my knee stops bleeding, my son will be awake.
When my knee scabs over, my son will be out of the PICU and will be able to open his swollen eyes. 
When my scab gets dry, my son will get his feeding tube out. 
It sounds weird (and super gross), but it helped. 

We watched him fight. We watched him work so hard in physical therapy, even though he was scared and it hurt his body to move. It was the worst thing I had experienced. I would take the pain. I would take everything. It was torture. 
He showed me what it was to be brave. To do something when you don’t want to or think you can’t.  You do it anyway. 

And now.

He is perfect. He was alway perfect, of course. All the bones are healed. All the cracks, bruises and scrapes are repaired. The human body is even more marvelous that I realized. He jumps higher, laughs louder and tells even more silly jokes than before. I asked him last night if he remembers his stay at the hospital.
Not really, he tells me.
The remaining mark of his accident is his right front tooth is slight lower the left one.
To celebrate today, we took him to his favorite restaurant. We got him his favorite dessert, cheesecake (good choice!). We bought him a Paw Patrol toy he has been eyeing and doing extra chores to earn. Labor Day will forever be a special day for us. Not to remember the tragedy of the accident, but to remember how blessed we are, that family is the most important thing, and that THIS KID IS AWESOME. 

Happy Labor Day, 

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