What I've learned after 10 weeks of running
Weekly run log: https://i.ibb.co/B5hVRtqk/Screenshot-2026-05-14-at-8-17-35-PM.png
On March 8th, I ran for 6 minutes. It sucked. I was gassed at the end. On May 12th, I ran for 46 minutes and I could've kept going.
I've started and stopped various kinds of training in my life, but I don't think I ever ran for 2 miles before April!
Here's what I've learned:
Running in most types of weather can be comfortable with the right gear. My favorite run so far was 30°F wind chill. It was very rainy, very windy.
The setup matters. I need stability shoes and heel inserts. I have weird feet. My airpods can find a trash can for all I care — I have some cheap $15 earbuds that work and fit great.
A routine makes the hobby become habitual. On Sun/Tues/Thu, I wake up, drink 20oz of electrolyte water plus a protein coffee, and I run one hour later. I drink another 20oz of the same water right after finishing.
Dynamic warmups are injury prevention. I do high knees, butt kicks, squats, and a brisk walk. I may add some lunges in now that I'm not scared of my knees.
Strength training is highly supportive too. My calves have always limited me with cardio. Those fuckers are getting beefy. They aren't my stop sign any longer. I do a minimalistic whole body routine over 3 days each week. It has helped.
Slowing down helps you win at this hobby. Took me like 20 runs to learn how to control my pace and not want to finish strong. Just because we can, doesn't mean we should. I was pushing myself every run at first. I push myself once every two weeks now.
Zone 2 ain't happening for a while. I made my peace with it.
Form helps health. I quickly applied landing my feet below my body as opposed to overstriding.
This hobby builds mental toughness you may not have known you were capable of. You may find it applying to other aspects of life.
Find what works for you. I don't take walk breaks (they're good to take!). I don't care to race (I will do some eventually). I like caffeine, but clearly there's at least one of you that doesn't.
Protein!!! This one's more relevant for me than most, with the cutting and lifting combo, but ensure you're getting at least the minimum for your goals!
Minor injuries can be ran through. I've had a tendon tweak caused by strength work and mild achilles tendinitis caused by running. Both improved to 100% despite zero time off from running. Of course, one must know when rest is necessary. I did do my research for both injuries. I use GPT 5.5 in Codex to assist me there. I wouldn't self-treat without it, personally, and the actual use case may vary wildly on a person-to-person basis. Don't assume it's something without evidence, and even then keep a close eye on it!
My full injury prevention / treatment suite: strength work, dynamic warmups, foam rolling, static stretching separated from the run (I don't think this helps aside from flexibility), and GPT 5.5 as a knowledge curator and detailed journal.
I never would have thought I'd be running 2+ miles 3 times a week, let alone 3.5 miles. I love running and I hope to stick with it until I can't.