How to Hack the Marathon: Things I've Learnt From Running

"Runners maintain that it’s hard: it’s not. It’s a lie."

Running is not hard for some people, but for many it is very difficult.

I know a fair amount of runners and they are all the same - very slender, very light. I know some might say that they are this way because of running but I think running is more accessible for people with these traits already.

I am a large individual, not fat (although no longer skinny) and have always been terrible at running. I'm 6'4" and bulky. My thick legs make running a lot of work and therefore not fun at all.

"If you manage to get past the first week of training, you will not stop. Your life will actually reach a stage where it becomes easier to run than not to run."

As someone who did Couch to 5k[1] and had the goal to complete a race (an accomplished), I can say it isn't easier to run than not run and it's also just as easy to stop. Sometimes running for enjoyment isn't enough to keep you going and without an external goal (losing weight, looking good, getting healthy) you just aren't going to bother.

I will say that running is the best home gym ever. Cheap and convenient, and until you are a slender individual great at weight control.

[1] http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

A great secondary benefit of this advice is that you're more forgiving to your body. Push yourself to hard too fast and you'll be ignoring the track and back in the weight room recovering from something like patellar tendinitis. (In which case you'll be glad if you have a fallback outlet like swimming.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patellar_tendinitis

tldr: run for enjoyment, not for running sake.