Rachel Hosie
It's a cliché that everyone starts running once they hit their 30s. And yet, here I am on my 32nd birthday, reflecting on the fact that I've been running consistently for six months, for the first time in my life.
As someone who has always considered themselves "not a runner," I'm as perplexed as I am proud of this development.
I do consider myself a weightlifter. I'm one of the many people who got into resistance training over the past decade as we learned of the longevity, empowerment, and fat-burning benefits.
While weight training is on the up, so is running: Running remained the most popular sport on Strava in 2023, up 4% since 2022. This all comes amid the rise of what is known as hybrid training, where people focus on strength training as well as cardio, rather than just one or the other.
After consistently weightlifting for seven years, I'm now trying to find the balance between the two: Research suggests that this combination is best for longevity.
Here's how I made running into a habit by focusing on making it as enjoyable as possible, and not pushing myself too hard.
Rachel Hose
I first tried running when I signed up for a 10K race with a friend at university. During training, it became clear that a) I didn't like running, and b) my knees really didn't like running.
I bought special sneakers and had a gait analysis, but on race day, the only solution seemed to be taking painkillers in advance and pushing through. Never again, I thought.
In the years since, I joked about going on a twice-yearly run when I got the strange urge to do so. Each time, I'd enjoy the first couple of minutes, only to feel like I was dying by minute three.
At the age of 24, I fell in love with weight training and have been lifting consistently ever since. I absolutely adore resistance training and how empowered it makes me feel. I became one of those people who joked about being allergic to cardio (which I now realize was stupid).
There was a brief period in my mid-twenties when I hurt my wrist and could neither lift nor play my sport of choice, netball (undeniably cardio, to be fair). Unsure what else to do, I decided to try a "Couch to 5K" app. I got a few weeks in, but once the periods of running increased past five minutes and my wrist healed, I quit.
I was convinced that the elusive "runner's high" was simply joy at something so horrible being over.
Things changed in April. When a friend who was following Couch to 5k asked me to go on a walk, I suggested we run instead, purely to support her. But it inspired me to redownload the app myself.
I didn't plan to get into running, but I wasn't immune to the change in priorities many people feel as they enter their 30s and the first signs of aging appear (be that an aching back or "fine lines" on your face) — combined with the shifting cultural focus to exercising for longevity rather than just aesthetics.
Couch to 5k involves three runs a week for nine weeks, gradually increasing the running intervals (and decreasing walking) until you can run for half an hour. As I'm relatively fit, I ambitiously decided to jump in at week four, but I went at my own pace.
I know that when trying to establish a new healthy habit, going slow and steady makes it more likely to stick.
Whereas I used to feel embarrassed to run slowly as someone who, on the face of it, looks fit, I gave myself permission to do so. And I also only ran once or twice a week because I was also doing a couple of gym sessions and playing a netball match.
Rachel Hosie
As I ticked off the runs, I felt proud. Easing myself in meant I no longer felt like I was dying while running. It felt manageable, which motivated me to keep going. Running only once a week also helped keep knee pain at bay.
I knew that if I wanted running to become a regular part of my lifestyle, I needed to make it as enjoyable as possible. That meant mostly going when the weather was nice (easier over the summer months, granted) and, especially as the distances increased, ensuring I had a carb-rich snack before setting off to keep my energy up.
Once I completed the Couch to 5K app, I downloaded Strava. I hadn't been tracking my distances, and I swiftly realized I'd been running less than 5k in half an hour. But it was interesting to see how my pace changed from kilometer to kilometer and on different days. Plus the kudos from my approximately eight friends on Strava made me feel good.
Now I enjoy running to shake off the day, and it actually feels like less effort than going to the gym. On lovely sunny days, I've found myself really wanting to get out and run, and I love that as long as I have the right clothes and shoes, I don't need to go anywhere specific or use any equipment to move.
I am yet to achieve a sub-half-hour 5K, but I'm close! Getting steadily quicker is motivating, but I'm not in any rush.
I'm running for my long-term health and fitness, for the mental challenge, and so I can walk up multiple flights of stairs without getting out of breath. Pleasingly, I have actually noticed an improvement on that front, and I have better stamina when I play netball, too.
In time, I'd like to run faster and further, but building the habit feels most important right now.
As winter draws in, I know I'll likely feel less motivated to run (I have absolutely zero desire to run on a treadmill). However, one run a week seems achievable, and I'm prepared to push myself to do it some days.
Some may argue I should follow a more structured training program instead of just setting off and hoping for the best, but at the moment, the fact that I'm doing it — and enjoying it — is enough for me.
