From “Junior Runner -” to “Junior Runner” or “How Long Are You Ready to Knock on a Closed Door”

There are cases when people who are in psychotherapy become psychologists. Since they have started to let go, they want to help others take steps to solve intrapersonal problems. My name is Dasha, from 9 to 18 I am a project manager in BIM, the rest of the time I am an amateur runner. The desire to talk about my initial experience has similar roots. I believe that running transforms people, and by transforming, people change the world for the better.
Do you respect statistics and diagrams? Welcome under the cut.

Warnings:

1. Before adding running to your life, consult your doctor if you suspect any contraindications;

2. It’s not a fact that you will succeed, or that you will want to apply the experience of other athletes to your life, but there is a possibility;

For some people who care about their physical fitness, even medium distances are hard at first. In principle, running is hard, and that's why you don't like running. In the video, they say “you need to run with a low pulse,” but the bastard never runs low. If you're inspired and run, but it was too hard to continue, change your strategy, and don't quit training.

My progress was very slow, and sometimes it seemed that there was no progress. After 5 months of training at the club 5 times a week, I barely ran 10 km in 55 minutes, asking at the finish line: “Is it worth it?” The world is conquered by the brave, and in my case, also persistent runners. If you look at the statistics from afar, the progress is obvious.

Sit back and make yourself comfortable.

Initial data

I have been running since July 2023, i.e. for about a year, I started with 6 km;
Age at start – 31;
Sports background: training in the gym to maintain health;
Work: sedentary, remote;
Height: 170cm;

Stage 1. Senseless and Merciless (5 months)

Start of training. I trained without a trainer and ran as fast as my body allowed, so as not to suffocate. But still not fast: 6.5 – 8 minutes per 1 km. The training was not systematic. Then I learned about “running at a low pulse”. I suggest you familiarize yourself with the material on your own, briefly: there are pulse zones, and you need to run most of the training in the first half, and not when the pulse tends to the maximum. I tried, but the pulse never fell below 160, no matter how slowly I ran. I was examined by a cardiologist. I wore a daily monitor, did an ultrasound. Everything is fine with my heart. And after that, I basically gave up. I ran slowly with a pulse of 160 and higher. Therefore, the diagram of this period is chaotic. I could not run in the company of someone – my pulse let me down.

At this stage I ran the main part of the starts

06.08.23 – 10km – in 1:05
08.10.23 – 10km – in 1:01
10/29/23 – 10km – in 0:58
11/12/23 – 21km – in 2:17

The progress in numbers is not so much due to improvements in form, but rather to the fact that after the first start I could focus on the result.

Conclusions of the 1st stage: Buy running shoes one size bigger. So that your toes don't feel the tip of the shoe when you run. Toenails are easily injured and grow slowly.

Stage 2. The longest winter of my life (4 months)

In December, I started working out at the club and at the very start I asked the trainer to lower my pulse. He was shocked by the pulse readings during the first training session and even recounted the pulse with his hand. The watch was not lying, and the pulse accelerated to 160 out of boredom.

The two main principles of my subsequent training were: pulse no higher than 160 on cross-country runs and consistency. The training was 5 times a week: 1 strength training in the track and field arena (completely brutal), 1 speed training there (also brutal, but manageable). During the speed training, I was given a task with a rest period every other step, so that I wouldn’t die early on a Saturday morning. And here I had to endure it, since I had to walk alone while the rest of the group was running like horses. The other three days, I ran on the task outside in any weather. The tasks were always every other step.

At this stage, the diagram began to behave more adequately: the pulse slightly dropped and the time per 1 km decreased.

Conclusions of the 2nd stage: no need to rush at a pulse of 170. Run at a pulse of at least 160, when it rises above, take a step. Lower it and run again. If you don’t have a fitness watch, then check your pulse with your hand on your neck immediately after running at the moment of stopping.

Stage 3. Volume increase (3 months)

Since April, my pulse has been almost stable and almost effortlessly kept around 155. All winter I ran in the St. Petersburg slush and dreamed that the snow would melt faster, but with the arrival of warm weather I realized that it is damn hot to run, because of this the pulse flies into space. Therefore, I can’t run faster. In general, the running volumes have increased in the summer. What’s good about summer? You need a minimum of equipment.

At this stage the first conscious start happened
29.06 – 10km – 0:51

Before him, the coach told me the time I should run a kilometer in the 1st and 2nd halves. So everything is simple – you just had to look at the clock and run. One of the advantages of interacting with a coach is that he already knows the approximate result, you just have to be patient.

Conclusions of the 3rd stage: Summer starts are not as good as they seem. Choose night runs, the temperature is lower, it is easier to run.

Stage 4. Broken wall (2 months)

In July, the running volumes reached their maximum and, to my great joy, my heart rate began to drop quite sharply below 145 at a pace faster than 7 min per 1 km. I feel a little more satisfaction from my training.

Conclusions of the 4th stage: The road will be mastered by the one who walks it, as trite as it may sound.

Tip 1: Stretch regularly, roll your muscles on the MFR roller and, if possible, go to a sports massage.

Tip 2: Raise your hand to greet oncoming runners

Thank you for reading to the end.
Link to my first article about life, finding a community, beginnings in running, starts and the team.