5 Things About Running Nobody Tells You (Until You Start Doing It)

Running is simple, not easy, and full of surprises.

I tried running a couple of times in the past.

Before I tried it, I thought it was simple: you create a plan (for example, to run a 5k) and then you go.

But that isn’t the case.

It’s tough when you start.

I’ve gone through shin splints, side stitches, and lack of motivation, but I’m still running.

So here are 5 things nobody tells you about running (until you start doing it).

1 — The First 10 Minutes Always Suck

You never start easy.

I guess that’s normal. Not sure what other people experience, but I can’t imagine it being different for them.

You have to get through this feeling of “I’m doing something wrong”.

Your legs feel heavy, you don’t know how to breathe yet, and you just want to go home. It just feels like you’ve never run before (even though you finished a 5k the week before).

But I’ll tell you: it’s just your body warming you up. Your body is shifting gears, your heart rate is climbing, and your lungs are adapting to the increased amount of oxygen you need.

I used to think the problem was me. That I wasn’t fit enough.

“Real runners must feel light and smooth from the first step.”

But then I noticed something: if I pushed past that 10-minute wall, things got better.

Now, I know not to trust the beginning of a run. It’s a trap.

If you quit early, you miss the magic that happens once your body warms up and falls into sync. So I don’t make decisions in the first 10 minutes, I just keep moving forward, knowing it gets easier.

2 — You Won’t Run Faster Every Time (And That’s Okay)

I wanted to run fast.

And every run had to be better than the previous one. I thought progress meant constant improvement.

Big myth!

That’s not the mindset you should adopt. It demotivates you and makes you want to quit.

Running doesn’t work like that.

Your pace will fluctuate. Some days you’ll feel strong and fly through your route. Other days, the same loop feels like dragging your body along.

There are so many important factors:

• Sleep

• Stress

• Weather

• Hydration

and even your mood, which affects how your run feels. And none of that makes you a bad runner.

Running progress is measured over time.

Just zoom out and watch the trends.

You just have to show up, and then someday it will click. The hard runs are still part of the process. They’re not failures. They’re fuel.

So keep going.

3 — Your Mind Quits Before Your Body Does

Running isn’t physical.

Okay, it is up to a point. You must have a certain physique and endurance to keep up and finish a marathon.

But it’s mostly mental. Especially the longer runs, they are the most difficult to stay focused on.

I realized something: it’s not your body that gives up first.

It’s your mind.

Your brain is wired for comfort. It wants to protect you. So when things are getting uncomfortable, your body is sending signals to your brain to quit!

“This is too hard. Just stop.” And those thoughts? They come in way before your body is ready to stop.

I’ve had a couple of moments after like 2k where I’m just getting bored and tired. I wasn’t even physically tired yet, but mentally I felt like I’d already run a 10k.

The turning point came when I stopped believing every thought that popped into my head mid-run.

I started pushing a bit further after the first quit signal.

Almost every time, I made it.

Not because I suddenly got stronger, but because I started managing the mental side of running.

One thing that helped? Breaking the run into smaller chunks. I’d focus on running blocks of 2k.

That’s what people mean when they say running is mental. Your body is capable of more than you think. You just have to stop letting your brain talk you out of it too early.

4 — Walking During a Run Doesn’t Make You Less of a Runner

I thought this was a running sin.

It took me way too long to believe. When I first started running, I treated walking like failure. I thought real runners didn’t stop.

That if I had to slow down and catch my breath, it meant I wasn’t cut out for it. So I’d push through runs I wasn’t ready for, burn out early, and end up feeling defeated.

But walking is not weak — it’s a strategy.

Some of the most effective training methods build in walking.

Ever heard of the Jeff Galloway method?

It’s a run-walk approach used by thousands of marathoners. Not beginners. Marathoners. Walking helps you pace better, recover mid-run, and go longer without injury.

Once I allowed myself to walk mid-run, everything changed.

I was able to enjoy running more. I could run longer distances without feeling completely drained. And oddly enough, I started running more consistently because I didn’t dread it anymore.

I wasn’t forcing myself to meet an unrealistic expectation every time I stepped out the door.

These days, I still use walk breaks, especially on longer runs or during recovery weeks.

I build them in like water stops. And guess what? I still consider it a run. Because it is.

You don’t need to run every step to get better.

5 — You’ll Miss It When You Skip It

This is the twist nobody tells you.

I didn’t like running when I started.

I had to motivate myself for every run. I looked for excuses. I hated the discomfort. But after a few weeks of showing up — even imperfectly, I noticed something weird, on rest days, I started wanting to run.

Not for weight loss. Not for my stats on Strave (where you can follow me by the way).

But because I missed the feeling.

I missed that small sense of accomplishment that came from doing something hard.

That doesn’t mean I always feel motivated. I still have days when I’d rather scroll or sleep. But now I notice the absence of running. I feel off when I skip it for too long.

Final Thoughts — You’re a Runner When You Say You Are

So if you’re running, even a little?

Even badly?

You’re a runner. Own that. Be proud of that.