My first proper running shoes.

When I first started running this was a question I’d ask myself and people I thought could tell me the answer all the time: “when will it get easier?” Some of my first runs outside were really hard and had me aching for days after. I hoped, but didn’t know, back then that if I kept with it the aching would subside and that the distances would increase. I don’t know exactly when it happened, but over time running did seem to get easier.

When you’re constantly pushing yourself to go further and faster all the time it’s sometimes hard to take stock of just how far you’ve come. From completing my first four-mile run to my first 10K, first half-marathon and then the full marathon, there’s been a lot of milestones that I’ve passed. But there was one milestone that I passed almost without noticing and that didn’t win be a medal. It was when my legs stopped hurting after anything less than 10 miles. It was only last night that I noticed this. I was walking along the platform to catch my train after work and I had to break into a slow jog to get on before the doors shut. I was reminded of all the times I’d done that after running at lunchtime and my legs stinging as I hobbled along. I couldn’t remember the last time that had happened to me. At some point over the last couple of years, it stopped happening as running got easier.

I sat on the train on the way home and considered this. Running doesn’t get easier – it is what it is. What has happened is I’ve become fitter and stronger and so I’m able to run and recover with greater ease. I might get better at running 10K races, but that isn’t because the races are getting easier – it’s me that’s getting better. We do ourselves a disservice in phrasing it the way we do.

So, if you’re wondering when running will get easier, it won’t. But if you stick with it you’ll get better at doing it.