RUNNING IS LIKE WATCHING NETFLIX
BY COACH CECILE
Myself and Coach Nicole lined up at the start of The RAK Half Marathon on Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah just the other day.
We have been running for the majority of our adult lives. Mostly recreational and a few races here and there of distances such as 10, 15, 21,km and last December we did the ADNOC Abu Dhabi Marathon which is 42.2 km.
At some stage of my life I was running between 30 and 50 km per week and even though this is not the case today, it does make up a big part of my life. I believe anyone can run if they want to. At every race I am amazed to see all the shapes and sizes of the runners.
Now that being said - we at Elite Fitness do not advise our clients who are extremely overweight to run. Running has a high impact on your joints and with added extra body weight the impact definitely increases. At first you might be fine and it might actually help you lose weight but in the long run it might create some injuries as your joints and muscles were not conditioned enough. Therefore we suggest losing the majority of the weight first and then start incorporating running slowly into your training.
But I guess you are here because you want to know how running is like NETFLIX - so let’s dive in.
The questions I often get are
-What does it take to run?
-How do you run 21.1 km?
My answer is simple but the application makes it hard.
It comes down to 2 things: A DECISION AND CHOICES
Firstly, I will use watching NETFLIX to explain the difference between DECISION and CHOICES and that will also help you understand why I think running is like NETFLIX.
You are chilling at home and you decide you want to watch Netflix - You made a DECISION to watch NETFLIX
Now the tough part starts - you have to choose between watching a movie, a series, a documentary or reality. Once you have decided on that you might have to choose between a comedy, romance, action or thriller. Netflix has multiple CHOICES
And come now, we’ve all been there - you take longer to decide what to watch than what it takes to watch something because there are so many choices to choose from.
Does the NETFLIX analogy explains DECISION AND CHOICES to you?
Well that is what it takes to start running or to complete a marathon. In fact - you can apply it to many other scenarios such as losing weight. How do you lose 20 kg?
You make a DECISION that you want to run a marathon.
You make a DECISION that you want to lose 20 kg
But rest assured - you will be left with multiple CHOICES along the way
For example, you DECIDED to start running. Now you will have to choose what brand of shoe you will use. Nike, like Eliud Kipchoge used did when he ran the fastest marathon or Asics which I prefer. You might end up making a not so good choice as the shoe that you chose is not comfortable for your running style. Then you will be left with 2 CHOICES - Does this stop me or do I try another brand. What do you DECIDE?
When you look at losing 20 kg. You DECIDED to lose 20 kg. You are well on track during the week, but then the weekend shows up and you are invited to a brunch. You have two CHOICES - Do I go or not - You DECIDE to go - You are left with multiple CHOICES during the brunch. Deep fried prawns, cakes and maybe some bubbly. Do you overindulge or try to stick to lean protein sources and grilled vegetables? What do you DECIDE?
For the half marathon the other day it took me around 25 000 steps. Of which the first, let’s say 15 000 steps, was relatively easy. But the last 10 000 was painful and mentally exhausting. With every step I was left with 2 choices - Do I stop or do I continue?