Instant Running Motivation

There will be days that you don't feel like running, and that's a fact. It's normal. As I kick-start my own running journey, I was also immediately confronted by this familiar runner's foe… 

"Laziness"

Being a newbie runner, I want to get full steam ahead in building my running habit as soon as possible, so I quickly thought of my usual ways to motivate myself into running and I want to share one of it now to you.

There are actually a lot of ways to motivate us (a running buddy/group who will push us to run, joining a race, etc.), but I think this one is my favorite: new running gears.

My running watch. Battle tested. Due for replacement.

From a simple pair of running socks to a dazzling brand new running watch with GPS and Heart monitor features, having a new gear could give us instant motivation for the simple reason that we want to try the new gear out. And it also serves as confidence boosters sometimes.

Although there is no perfect fit way to motivate each runner, this will surely help beginners and even seasoned runners in some way especially if they have the right gear (this is a new topic altogether and I will blog about it soon!).

Personally, I treat these kind of buys as investment to my health because it pushes me to live a healthy life. And I can say that investing on our health in general is one of the best investment that we can ever have. As the saying goes, health is wealth!

Got questions or ideas? Feel free to drop a comment!

Runner's High

With the growing popularity of Running in the Philippines (race events here and there, almost every weekend!), more and more of young professionals are choosing Running as their preferred way of exercise. Me, being part of that work force, I can definitely relate to the stress and pressure that comes with the job. I remember some very challenging days at work that could give anyone sleepless nights but because I opted to have my after-work runs, I was able to cope up and even feel refreshed.

So for me, being able to run offers one of the best anti-stress activity that one can find.

And have you ever heard of the term, "Runner's High"?

Runner's High

Runner's High is the state of elation during or after a run that many runners tend to experience. According to studies, the "feel-good" experience occurs because of the release of Endorphin throughout the body that control feelings of stress and frustration.

Although runners who have been running for a long time are much more likely to experience this "high", there is always this some kind of a satisfying feeling every time I finish a workout, whether an easy run or a long run. Whatever the reason behind it, one thing is for sure...Running feels good! And feeling good is just one of the many benefits of running that we don't want to miss! Right?

Got more info on "Runner's High" or other benefits of Running? Feel free to drop a comment! =)

First Run. Easy Run.

I just had my first run of 2013 last Saturday and man it was fun! It was my typical kind of a run - alone, quiet route, no music, just my every step and every breath. Though it was just 20 minutes of easy running, I was definitely refreshed and was reminded of how much I miss running, most especially...Easy Running.

For some of you newbies out there like me, you might be asking "What exactly Easy Running means?". Well, let me help you with that and introduce you how to do Easy Running and how important it is in our running journey:

Why Easy Running?

Easy Running helps us to focus on enjoying the run, rather than thinking about how many miles or how fast should we go. This is also the time to look around and experience your surroundings. In the Philippines, there's a lot of good places to run to and doing easy running will allow us to enjoy these wonderful sceneries.

Another benefit of Easy Running, and I believe one of the most important (if not the most important) is it helps us to recover. Easy running gets blood flowing to our muscles therefore helping us to heal and recover after tough running workouts. It allows our bodies to not just recover but also to be stronger.

How to do Easy Running?

Easy runs normally lasts around 15 to 30 minutes. The pace or the intensity of the run should feel comfortable and you should be able to talk easily. You will know that you are exerting too much effort if you are huffing and puffing and you can't finish up sentences while running. That's why this is usually the best time to forget about our running watches to prevent us from pushing ourselves too much. :)

The key here is to learn how to listen to our bodies. Easy Running is more on intensity so learning to control the effort will lead us to better and more enjoying Easy Runs! And lastly, just remember, Easy Runs should be FUN!

Drop a comment if you have more to add on Easy Running or if you have any questions! Feel free!

RUN the YEAR right!

Hey there! If you are reading this post, you are probably a RUNNER or you want to be a runner or maybe….you're one of my friends. By the way, let me introduce myself in my very first (ever) post: I'm Rey Piad. I started running around August of 2010 and I could say that my life was changed because of the great experiences that running brought to me.

Then you might be asking, why did I described this blog "A newbie's running journey." if I've been running since 2010? Well, for me, 2+ years of running doesn't make us a seasoned runner. I know and heard of runners who are running for 10, 20, 30, 40, and even 50+ years! That's what I call SEASONED runners!

And though I've been running since August 2010, the past one and a half years wasn't that active for me. I became busy with so many things and I gradually slowed down my regular runs until there were no runs at all. The last race I joined was the 10K event of Unilab Run United 1 and that was 2011. Yes, it's sad.

So I still consider myself a NEWBIE! So if you consider yourself a newbie, I invite you to follow my running journey (my blog!) as I aim to reach my running goals, from 5K to a Marathon. Let's share each others thoughts, experiences, and even tips about running! So if I were you, let's start this year RIGHT and start RUNNING!