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There are just so, so many truths about running that are anything but.
Collage: Self ; Source images: AN Studio/Ivan Pantic/Getty Images
Running will wreck your knees.
If theres one myth that just wont die, its this one.
But the truth is that human bodies arent machines with parts that simply wear out with use.
Running needs to befastand then get even faster.
Thats when people get injured; they get burned out, Gracey says.
Theyre like, Oh, running sucks.
But its because they progress too quickly.
The far better strategy, coaches say, is to ease in slowly and build a sustainable habit.
Start with walking and then begin adding in running intervals.
(Thats exactly what were doing inSELFs Learn to Love Running Program!)
(Thats what you often hear called easy miles.)
More relaxed efforts build your cardiovascular base.
Your heart becomes stronger, so it can pump more blood through your hard-working body.
But a little goes a long wayWhyte assigns her advanced runners only one to two such sessions per week.
You should run every day.
All those changes to your cardiovascular system occur in response to the challenge running places on your body.
If you stop to walk, youre not a runner.
But even before you get to its ultimate goalrunning 30 minutes continuouslyyoure undeniably a runner, Pettygrue says.
In fact, sheand many other experienced runnerscontinue to use walk breaks as they build up their distances.
Many people, including Pettygrue and some of her athletes, find they actually runfasterthis way.
You choose how you want to do it, Pettygrue says.
Run-walk does not make you any less of a runner.
Runners never lose their motivation.
Scrolling social media can have you believing runners always feel amped up to get out there and train.
People think that, if theyre not always motivated, theres something wrong with them, Whyte says.
The reality is that even the most dedicated athletes sometimes struggle to get out the door.
Motivationcomes when you see progress, Whyte says.
Running is a solo sport.
About those running groupssure, they can feel intimidating to newbies.
When you do, you might find more than motivation.
You might find a team of people rooting for you, as well as an entirely new friend group.
My husband always says running races is our social life, Pettygrue says.
7. it’s crucial that you have a runners body to run.
Ask most people to picture a runner and chances are theyll think of someone leanly muscled.
Theres definitely a stereotype, Pettygrue says.
But runners come in all shapes and sizes.
Whats more, bodies change over time.
She suggests anyone feeling doubtful about their body should go watch the finish line of a marathon.
You dont have to weigh a certain anything, she says.
Its all about putting one foot first.
You have to race long distances to be a real runner.
Many runners find racing 5Ksthats 3.1 milesoffers the perfect balance of an approachable challenge, she says.
I couldnt ever run that far, anyway.
When Pettygrue reached the 10-mile mark at her first half marathon, she had a thought.
If she were running a full marathon, or 26.2 miles, she wouldnt even be halfway done.
At the time, she thought there was no way she couldor would want totake on the longer distance.
Now, more than 15 years later, shes finished 12 marathons and more than 170 half marathons.
Its too late for me to get started.
You dont have to have an athletic past to get hooked on running now.
in all the big-city races that make up theAbbott World Marathon Majors.
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