Running Advice from a Non-Runner

Running is in... ask anyone! Everyone runs... except maybe for me. I'm definitely a newbie when it comes to this fitness craze. I've heard of marathon runners and ultra-marathon runners and it's all very inspiring until I get out of the door and can't seem to get around the block... jk. 

But seriously, this post is for those of you (and me) who want to run, who want to be more fit, but who find it difficult to get started. 

When I first decided I wanted to run a few years ago, I found loads of advice online and from friends who are runners, but it all seemed a bit mad to me, to be honest. 

All of a sudden, running had to be something I did everyday, in all weathers, and I had to have all the latest gear, which, by the way, costs a lot of money. I didn't even have an ipod arm-band back then! 

So here are some running tips for neophytes: 

1. If you find treadmills difficult to run on because of the boredom factor, (like me) count things... anything, as you're going along. It does help... and turn your music up super loud and dance while you're treadmilling it up :) (arm movements, etc) 
2. If you run on a track find it difficult to run in circles (because, like me, you lose count of how many times you've gone around), count on your fingers as you go along. It totally helps! 
3. If you have bad knees (mine aren't the greatest), try running on grass... the pavement is VERY hard on your knees and running is high impact... so go gingerly on them. You can also have running shoe specialists look at your stride and get you amazing shoes (but it's expensive). 
4. If you get bored, zig-zag through trees, run around benches, intermittently do sets of jumping jacks in your run (it keeps the heart rate up!) and sprint at squirrels, do cartwheels, or anything else that gets you out of the monotonous running motion. 
5. I love running to music, but my ipod armband broke, so I scotch-tape it to my upper arm... #don'tjudgeme
6. In the running world, people can be VERY competitive... push yourself, if you want, but don't over-do it. I run for fun, to be fit, and my runs tend to be sporadic, fairly short, and at medium-speeds... I prefer dance and zumba for cardio, personally... 
7. I run in light clothes that are fairly tight... loose clothes tend to not work for running. 
8. Try to smile while running... depending on my music, I sometimes sing and laugh too... I once heard a comedian say no one who's running looks happy "If I see someone running who's happy, I'll run after them." 

Rollerblading Rocks!

So, my new passion is rollerblading, refound from my 12th birthday when I first loved this awesome activity.

So while there's a lot of cheese associated with rollerblading, spandex and neon, I'm going to give you the top 5 fabulous reasons to rollerblade.

1. It's super fun! 
2. It burns loads of calories (285 per 30 mins at a steady pace and more if you increase speed) 
3. It helps increase your balance, aerobic and anaerobic health. 
4. It gets you outside to enjoy the park, boardwalk, or your neighborhood. Vitamin D! 
5. You can do it solo or with friends and there are loads of local classes becoming available to hone your skills and stay safe. 

Misconceptions and Annoyances 

1. You do not need to wear spandex. I often blade it up in jeans, shorts, or even my bathing suit. 
2. Safety is sexy, (says Eve in Whip it) so don't forget your wrist guards and knee pads at the minimum :) 
3. The funnest thing ever (sarcasm) is rollerblading down the path and people dive in front of me because they are trying to get out of the way. Seeing their deer in headlights look and then have them run the wrong way is hilarious/frustrating because I usually end up throwing myself up on the grass or out of the way to not hit them. 

Battle Cry

I'm watching the semi-final of the Rugby World Cup, New Zealand vs Australia, and I'm just reminded of all the battle analogies, and even the Maori haka they used at the start of the match (this is from a previous match).  Even this advert by Guiness boasts a war theme.

Anthropologically speaking, war games were used for just that, to prepare young men for battle. In America, the natives played what we now call Lacrosse, and across the globe, drills, matches, competitions, even faux battles and tournaments (in England and France especially), caused heroes to battle for real women locked in towers, etc.

I also know that National Sports Teams tend to be supported by the armed services, and in England especially the Army vs Navy rugby match is a classic sporting endeavor in the UK.

So are sport freaks just men who should have gone into the military? The feeling of belonging to something bigger, of fighting a historical battle, of being reliant on team members to achieve glory? All the best and worst moments of sporting mimic the metaphors of battle, but those in the armed forces would probably rarely compare war to a game.

In an episode of Bones, Brennan reminds Booth of this, that sport mad men are merely boys who haven't graduated to adulthood... they are stuck in the adolescence of war games instead of war.

Booth, however, is a Ranger and has seen war, but in a sense, is she correct? Do sport mad men just need to grow up a bit?