Doing your first 10k run

Building up to Doing your first 10k

I often read articles that are written and designed to lure the reader into believing that what was previously an unimaginable feat, is actually doable. While the distances often vary, 5k or 10k or even 21k, the message remains the same and goes a little something like this: “You, yes you, the one who does little or no exercise. You can actually surprise everybody and bag a finishers’ medal if you start now with these simple steps.” I assume that these articles have a reasonable strike rate of motivating people to put down the cheese burger, get off the couch and actually enter a race which means that they have their place and deserve to be in circulation and on repeat much like a DSTV movie. The only trouble I have with these articles is the mindset they create. They essentially give each reader more time to get comfortably prepared to settle for less.

You see, I am no advocate of rushing things or pushing to the point of injury but I firmly believe that most people are simply capable of so much more. In fairness, I have done some pretty hectic races and activities over the years so some may say that I can’t exactly equate my outlook or abilities with those that are just starting out and fair enough. That said though, there are some synergies that can’t be overlooked. One is the fact that I have to lug 98kg’s around on a 5’10 chassis (Considered obese on a standard BMI) whenever I set out on a run. Another is that my training schedule, like political promises in the run up to elections, sounds promising during the planning stages but somehow ends up ticking more blank boxes than active ones. Then there is also the fact that I am not single sport focused so golf with a cart and a beer is as much an activity for me as competition shooting or even hockey. Lastly, there is the unenviable accolade that I have which is that one way or another I have finished stone last and even have DNF next to my name in more than one event.

Back to the point I am trying to make which is simply that unless there is a cut-off time for any event you have in mind and the distance is shorter than 10km for road running or 5km for trail running, then you should simply just go ahead and do it. Considering that I am no physician or scientist these distances are only what my opinion is and I should stress that I have not included anyone morbidly obese or medically unfit. Outside of these categories though, there are an abundance of people who are just sheltering behind the comfort screen of being ‘unfit’ or ‘overweight’ or ‘not athletic’ and who in fact should be hitting the trails. You see, there are only really two obstacles one has to overcome in the world of running and they are 1) The start line and 2) The finish line. It really is as simple as that and the bigger and most daunting one is definitely the first. The list of currently accepted excuses preventing someone from reaching the start line could fill more pages than all the volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica collection and would be decidedly easier for the luckless salesmen back in the day to sell door to door these days. The list of excuses for not reaching the finish line, in comparison, reads like the intellectually stimulating articles one could find in a 1980’s Scope magazine – limited and rare.

The Start – If you break the ‘starting’ challenge down and exclude those that are running flat liners i.e. dead to the idea, then all the motivational articles and training programme’s enter the fray and, depending on the articulation skills of the writers, some may well find the mark and get the readers to respond actively. The author of this particular piece advocates an entirely different course of action though. In my opinion, you should just get up and pitch up and start. Simple. Do the distance you have never done before, run it run/walk it or just walk it but one way or another get yourself to the start line and from there focus on doing everything and anything in your power, to get you to the finish line in as short a time as possible. The sooner you finish, the sooner the activity is done with and the sooner it becomes firmly etched into the annals of your sporting history. In my case admittedly, the sooner I start, the sooner I finish and the sooner I can enjoy a cleansing lager with all my mates especially since the last time I saw them was at the start line when they ran off and left me in the dust.

The Analogy – A first race is like a Matric Dance, and you either build up to it like you prepare for your first car or you enjoy the lead up as much as you would embrace living with an elephant in your room. The first team jocks and all the beautiful girls all look forward to it because they are well equipped and prepared well in advance. They are familiar with dating, have planned for it all year and they know exactly how it will play out from start to finish. They know it is going to be great. Then you get those on the far side of the curve who dread the thought. They don’t have a date and will probably end up asking a desperate-second-cousin-of-a-friend as an afterthought at the end of an arduous and awkward phone call after all other options were exhausted. There is no plan and the only certainty is that a disaster filled evening awaits. Cue the motivated friend who turns it all around by changing the goal posts: Considering you not even on the dating (running) scene, the expectations of an awkward kiss (podium finish) are extremely low (non-existent) so the pressure is off. The fact that there is no pressure on that front means you can just be yourself and have fun in your own way (run at your own pace) for the duration of the night and set out to actually enjoy it. Lastly, you can have your own after party with your own friends and don’t need to be intimidated by the presence of the prom queen and her Bieber. In running this would be you sitting with your friends enjoying a great chat and refreshment although it is really inspiring to be rubbing shoulders with the legends of the sport but that may be something that one appreciates after Matric Dance days. Sure, you probably won’t have your parents offering to drive you and collect you after but with your independence you have liberation so nothing can stop you and best of all you don’t (shouldn’t have!?) a curfew. The bottom line is you simply don’t want the event to come and go and you missed it.

The Race – If you start out on your 5k or 10k your pace and stride will undoubtedly be clumsy, uncomfortable and exhausting. Last year’s Christmas pudding along with all the late night garage pies and even the Oktober Fest binge will give you a lifestyle audit and weighty reminder with every step. Self loathing thoughts will be knocking on the door to your mind and you will cursing your fate and untimely fall from grace – last night’s man of the match dancing on the tables like a teenager and buying all the tequilas to this morning’s amoeba at the back of the field clinging to some semblance of life. Fear not though, things will get better and if you stop and smell the roses, breathe in the outdoors and just give yourself some kudos for being in the event, the mood will lift. If you stick to your guns you will find a rhythm and then you just need to try maintain it for extended periods when possible. The better you feel, the better your progress will be and you will chip away at the distance and enjoy the fact that each step you take gets you further from the start and closer to the finish. When you cross the finish line, puffing, panting, sweating up a storm and weighing up life and death it will dawn on you that you have done something remarkable and any negative thoughts will soon give way to a sense of achievement. Take a moment and give yourself an internal high 5 for your efforts. Sure, you might be in a world of pain, but nothing can undo your effort or take away the accolade of your accomplishment. For some, these shorter distances are nothing at all but for those that have come off a low base, they are justifiably significant and worthy of praise.

The Achievement – Now, as opposed to those that are still building up to preparing to start a race, those that got up, pitched up and actually started have an entirely different point of reference to work with going forward. They will have confirmation of the fact that they were always capable to begin with and they will have a finishing time, exhaustion level and enjoyment factor to use as a reference when doing similar activities in the future. This translates into an active start to a fitness regimen as opposed to a passive planning process which is inevitably prone to distraction before anything actually starts. Once you have done it, you’ve done it and now you can make changes and adjustments to suit you that will ensure the next one is easier and more enjoyable. You have taken the step and turned an idea or item on a wish list into a tangible beginning of something better.

The Threat – Perspective and harsh reality are partners in the crime of scare tactics and preventing a person from doing anything physically challenging. To fight these two mean entities you have to understand them and then actually welcome them into your life for what will hopefully be a brief but necessary journey. You see, these two set out to embarrass you, frighten you, provide you with an abundance of worst case scenarios and ultimately do anything in their power to prevent you from achieving anything meaningful.

The Support – Between my mates and I, there is a common cause that is somehow a mix between motivation and humiliation, encouragement and competition, and challenge, interest, caring and concern all in one. It has become apparent over the years that without the one there cannot be the other and we have learned to live with it and turn the cocktail into something positive.

Case Study – I have entered races horribly under prepared and the results have been telling. I have been exhausted to the point of crawling my way up a steep hill while screaming expletives at the invisible race organizer, only to be effortlessly passed by a smiling and graceful barefoot lady carrying a 20l bucket full of water on her head. I have entered the last stretch of a race (when I was pretty fit) expecting a good result only to hear the announcer say “Put your hands together everyone, guy’s like this are the real winners!” I have also had the rare privilege of being the absolute last man in after 9h30 of hell – which would have garnered some morbid fame was it not for the fact that the cameramen had already packed up. In context my friends thought I looked so fed-up and destroyed that they gave me a gin shooter to lift my spirits. These are but a few of my accolades and they are only a part of the picture that my activities paint and yet they are cherished as greatly as the impressive performances are because they form a life story. Some of the failures are hilarious, some are hard to digest and some make the best reminiscent moments for around a fire. Without them though, my story would not have perspective. My failures and poor performances are as valuable as my best achievements and that’s how I have learned to embrace challenges and just ‘give it a bash’ as my sister would say.

In summation, if you are the fit one then grab your mate and line up at the start and set off. If you are the one mulling over an attempt at a distance then put the motivational articles aside and join your fit mate, line up at the start and set off. In both cases, it is just you, the route and the clock so take all the time you need but just move your chassis from the couch to the start line and from there to the finish.

It is one thing to read an article and reach the point of believing you can do a 10k, it is another thing entirely actually running a 10k, in whatever time it takes, and knowing you can and did finish a 10k. Start somewhere, start at the start of your first 10k. Yes that’s 10 kilometers, now get out there and enjoy!