Too many runners are obsessed by miles. They measure everything in miles. How far they run in a day. In a week and a month. In a year and a lifetime.
Miles are OK. After all, our races are measured in miles (or kilometers). Our cars keep track of miles covered, our now-ubiquitous GPS systems know exactly how many miles from here to there.
But beginning runners should avoid running by the mile. It’s much smarter to run by the minute. That’s why the run-walk program coming up on page 15 doesn’t tell you how many miles to run. It tells you only minutes.
Here’s the problem with miles. If you measure a mile, you’re also going to measure your speed. It’s inevitable. We’ve all got clocks on our wrists or our smartphones, and we all live our lives according to what these clocks say.
As a result, any time you run a certain number of miles, you’re going to divide the distance by the time it took you. That will give your pace or speed. The two represent different ways of expressing the same thing. Runners talk about their pace per mile. For example, someone might run a 10-minute mile (10:00 pace). That’s the same as a speed of 6 miles per hour.
But speed is the wrong thing for beginning runners to measure. Speed leads to a dark and perilous place. It tempts you to run a little faster each day. You’ll try to improve from 15 minutes per mile to 14 minutes per mile, then to 13, and so on. This is a trap any runner can fall into, but it’s particularly alluring and dangerous for beginning runners.
Dangerous? Yes. Here’s why. Speed kills. Not literally, but it stops your fitness progression. There comes a time in a runner’s life when it’s completely normal, healthy, and motivating to pursue faster running. But that’s not when you’re a beginner. Speed kills beginners by increasing the risk of injury, burnout, failure, and discouragement.
So don’t go there now. Don’t run by the mile. Instead, run by the minute.
There’s no pace in a minute. It’s an empty canvas. No matter how you paint it, you can’t go wrong. If you aim for 30 minutes and complete 30 minutes, you have met your target. There’s nothing else to measure yourself against. You can’t fall short.
You get to 30 minutes, you have won. You are on your way.
Remember Kipling: We have no reason to believe that Rudyard Kipling was a runner, but he certainly thought like one. Especially when he wrote, “If you can fill the unforgiving minute / With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run, / Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it.”
Smart, that Kipling. He knew the minute was the true measure of human endeavor, not any particular distance, be it a kilometer or mile. Follow his advice. Don’t fret over miles. Content yourself to fill the minutes of every run, and to reap the rewards.
Keep a log: It’s important to keep track of your running days and minutes. Runners do this by establishing a training log of some kind. I’ve heard arguments that the best, most motivating log is a simple sheet of paper on the refrigerator. Makes sense. You can hardly ignore a refrigerator log, and it might serve a nutritional purpose in addition to its primary role.
Of course, there are many other means of recording your running these days, including your computer’s hard drive, fitness trackers, smartphone apps, watches, and dozens of websites. It doesn’t matter which you choose. But keeping a log keeps you honest and provides a record of your journey. So do it.
Aim for pleasure, not for pain: When you run for time rather than speed, you can fill your mind with more than just, “Push, push, push.” That’s the beauty of running by the minute. Think about pleasure, not pain.
Admire the sounds and sights of nature, feel the warm glow filling your body, or check out the small changes in your neighborhood. Let your mind wander. I’ve always been amazed by the random and intriguing thoughts that pop up out of nowhere when I’m running. I won’t claim they’re genius. But they keep me amused. I’ve never been bored.
Running gives you a special time to get better acquainted with yourself. I find that a wonderful bonus.