At the finish line of my first 50K wearing a cotton t-shirt.
When it comes to running, one of the best things about the sport is how little you need to get started. Select a good pair of shoes, make slow and steady progress, and BOOM—you’re a runner! (If only teaching teens to drive were that easy.)
We runners love to give advice and it’s helpful to pay attention to what other runners do. (Your local running store is pushing a new kind of recovery drink so it must be good, right?)
But you’re also allowed to do your own thing. This isn’t middle school—it’s okay to be different. If something non-traditional makes the miles better/easier/happier for you, go for it!
Here are three running norms I ignore:
I don’t use Strava.
I get it. Strava is a wonderful tool for tracking miles, crunching data, and seeing what your fitness friends are up to. But the way Strava ranks my effort just solidifies what I already know: I’m not especially speedy.
Way too often I finish a brutal trail run with significant climbing and technical segments and feel empowered and proud of my effort, only to later check Strava and see how subpar I performed compared to others of my same gender and age—and weight! (Don’t get me started about how problematic that is!)
In order to quit the comparison game, I broke my Strava habit and haven’t looked back. If you struggle with that situation, you might consider doing the same.
I wear cotton.
It’s true runners usually feel better in technical material, but give me a basic cotton tee for running and I am one happy woman.
I live in a dry climate, and I’m not usually a heavy sweater, so to me a cotton t-shirt feels light and comfortable. My take on tops made from technical fabric? They attract static and lint, smell like an unemptied dumpster after just a few wears, and often cling to my skin in weird ways. My take on cotton tops? I love them—and I’m not sorry about it.
Wear what makes you feel good when you’re running. Love the warmth of a bulky parka in January? Have at it. Leggings in July because they keep you from chafing? Super.
I ignore my brain (or parts of it).
There is a tiny part of the brain called the amygdala that, among other things, assesses threats and has an important role in our survival. The amygdala keeps us from running down a trail where there have been recent mountain lion sightings, or signing up for a triathlon when you haven’t yet learned to swim.
But sometimes my overprotective amygdala gangs up with my anxious brain and keeps me from trying new things: a longer distance, an obstacle course, or a fast 5K I know will hurt. It wants to convince me that I can’t, when I absolutely can.
Sometimes that looks like hitting the registration button for a race before I’ve given my brain a chance to weigh the risks. Sometimes I allow the pull of gorgeous scenery on a tough trail to outweigh the comfort of my easy neighborhood loop. I’ve learned how to say yes to bigger things and ignore the part of my brain that wants to keep me on the couch this weekend.
I don’t use strava either and I hate tech shirts for running. I don’t think I have an amygdala as I have completed 143 tris and 10 swims from Alcatraz. Hope to swim under the Gold Gate bridge for my 69th b’day swim!
Cheryl, that is awesome!! Good luck to you!
LOL!!! Maybe the amygdala is overrated.
Ha! I love this! I did my first marathon in a cotton T shirt, because I didn’t know “better.” And I’m right there with you on Strava usage–I don’t need any help feeling less-than about my times (or weight or age, gah!), thank you very much. What else do I ignore? Training plans that tell me to do 8 x 800 when I am tired and my feet hurt. :)
Another Strava avoidee here. The comparison game just doesn’t appeal to me anymore. Love your perspective on doing your own thing!
Ugh so glad I never knew about Strava! That kind of data “bullies” my brain. As for clothes, I wear what I want now, too. Tech tends to be harder to get the stench out of anyway…and as for rules: I walk whenever I want during a run and still call myself a runner. Thanks for the input!
I got rid of Strava too.
Yay for quitting Strava. Seeing my paces next to my faster friends made me feel awful!
Love this – I’m considering dropping Strava and this was solid advice :)
I don’t do Strava either and sometimes I feel like dropping Garmin. It told me my 9 mile hot, humid, and hilly run this past weekend was unproductive? I either way I felt like a bad ass after completing it.
I try to let myself run when I want and walk when I don’t and not feel like I am somehow “not really running”. I also tend to do more hike up/ jog down on my trail runs. My PT once said it is good to remember that (if you) want to be able to run long-term that making accommodations in the short term is the smart thing to do. I want to be doing trail runs (or hikes) into my 60s and 70s- so taking care of my one and only 50-ish body is a good investment in that. I still do Strava, but have noticed I don’t check my efforts on it as often and I focus more on yearly goals than pace.