The First Three Steps

A while ago I was talking with a friend and she asked, “How do you run? I run 3 steps and then stop and wonder what people think of me.” Without thinking my immediate response was, “How do you sing? Do you sing 3 notes and then stop and wonder what people think? No – you continue with the flow and sing the song.”

I was thrilled that my friend has decided to try running and see if it worked for her, ultimately she’s more of a swimmer and cyclist, but the willingness to try something new was fantastic. I had known this woman for several years and had been singing together for most of that, which is how the response about singing came.

I don’t know why, but this conversation came into my head recently, perhaps because I’ve started doing some yoga and sometimes that’s what it feels like, what am I doing??? My housemate may have also triggered that conversation since he seems mildly interested and not sure where to start.

I would also imagine that this question, or something similar, probably runs through the mind of those who are just starting running. How do I do this? What do I wear? How far do I run? For those first runs, it actually doesn’t matter; what matters is getting out there and doing it, trying it, seeing how it feels. That a first success right there. Once you start running, ‘run the run’ just like you’d ‘sing a song’ and do what feels good to start with. It does take some time for running to be comfortable so start with where you are – take those first three steps, and keep going!

This isn't just for running either. If you want to try something new, start with what works - and keep going! Maybe it's not your thing, but you'll never know until you try. So go for it!