Put on sneakers and start running – that’s all you need for the sport of running. It works anywhere, any time of the day. Actually, one has to say, because there is still the well-known weaker self that needs to be overcome. Sometimes it’s the weather, sometimes a stressful day at work, family obligations or you feel exhausted and it’s getting dark outside – there are many reasons to postpone running until tomorrow. Andreas Schuberth, 34 years old, passionate runner and running coach of the youth athletics team at TSV Gräfelfing, knows them all, the excuses. He has tips on how to finally start running.
SZ: Can you give a good reason why it’s worth running?
Schuberth: The main motivation is to do something for your health, for your heart, your lungs, your circulatory system, your mind. This is especially true if you sit in the office all day. I feel my mental abilities benefit from running. I often run in my home office during my lunch break, during which time I think of many good things that would not have occurred to me sitting at my desk. Another health aspect is that you can naturally maintain your weight well. For example, I like to eat a lot, but you can’t tell by looking at me.
Even if you realize that sport is healthy, the hurdle sometimes seems insurmountable. How does a beginner get started?
It’s important not to set yourself too many goals, it’s the small goals that count. There’s nothing wrong with initially only being able to walk for two minutes. Then you take a break, walk a bit, then run again for two minutes. The first running unit may only last 15 or 20 minutes, the main thing is that you feel good. If it gets too tiring, it’s no fun. If you run too fast, you only get tired and feel exhausted afterwards and lose interest. At the beginning you should start as easy as possible, at the end you should have the satisfied feeling of having done something for yourself.
You start running, manage to do it for a week or two, and then there’s a bad weather phase and you don’t feel like going out at all. How do you motivate yourself anyway?
Weather is definitely a bastard. You always find excuses for yourself why you don’t have to run. Weather is a classic. It doesn’t leave me cold either when it’s disgusting outside. When I find myself telling myself that and squirming, I think back to my last run and how I felt after it – namely, mentally cleared and fitter. Running triggers happiness hormones and that’s exactly what you have to remember about this good feeling when you don’t feel like going out again.
Is every longer break a step backwards?
Yes that is unfortunately so. With running, as with all endurance sports, the following applies: constant dripping wears away the stone. It’s important to stick with it, run several times a week, otherwise you’ll have to start all over again. You don’t have to do a lot, but again and again and at regular intervals, then you get better quickly and of course that motivates you to keep going and stick with it. However, you should not let yourself be demotivated by a longer break. Once you have reached a certain level, you quickly find your way back to it.
Always likes to remember the moments of happiness that running triggers in him: Andreas Schuberth.
(Photo: Catherine Hess)
What role does the distance you run play in motivation?
Of course you should choose a route that you like. I like running in the woods because I want peace and quiet, so I can let my thoughts wander. If you want to improve, it can also help to run the same route for a while because you can see how you’re improving. However, one should also vary. Because there comes the point of stagnation. At some point you stop improving on the lap and that is demotivating.
Can running in a group be motivating?
Running with friends is definitely motivating, then you pull each other along. If you don’t feel like it, you pull yourself together because you don’t want to let your running partner down.
What is the number one motivational killer?
The tiredness after a long hard day’s work! You often decide in the morning to run after work, then you come home after ten hours in the office and all you really want to do is lie down on the sofa. That’s exactly when you have to say to yourself: Hey, I did enjoy running last time and it did me good. Actually, the inner bastard is always just the one small moment. When you run, it’s usually fun, even when the weather is bad. I have never regretted pushing myself to start running.
The SZ and TSV Unterhaching campaign “Läuft mit uns” starts on Tuesday, April 26, with a day of action at the Utzweg sports arena in Unterhaching, beginning at 6 p.m. Training begins the following week and ends on July 10th. Participation is free for TSV members, the fee for non-members is 50 euros. It is possible to participate once or several times a week. Registration and information below [email protected] or [email protected].