Listen The Knifes Silent Shout and just run.
One of the best things about me is that I don't think things through before I act.
Which means when people around me start stressing me about signing up for Göteborgsvarvet, I do. I go to the website, sign up and pay the fee. The whole thing takes less than five minutes. Then I'm like a snow globe somebody just shook around. After a while the snowflakes start to set, the water stops spinning and the image becomes clearer. I just signed up to voluntarily run 21km together with 49 others while the rest of the city stands by and watches.
One of the worst things about me is that I don't think things through before I act.
All of the sudden everyone around me starts giving me advice in spades and it's overflowing the way that free newspapers, pine cones and columnists are overflowing. Someone says it's about wearing the right clothes so I buy a black full-body underwear for running that together with my black beanie and black gloves make me look like a ninja (or the closest to being a ninja I'll ever be). Someone else says it's all about the shoes so I buy a pair of fancy running shoes. A purchase that means noodles for dinner for the next two months. But it's worth it, I tell myself. You can't call yourself a runner without proper shoes. A third person tells me to breathe correctly. So I try to breathe, correctly.
Next is the actual running. I'm not a sporty guy. When the other kids got chosen first at soccer during recess I read Kafka. And when the gym teacher yelled at me for the fifth time I got up to get into the pit and throw the damn metal ball half a meter. So going running for 8km is not how I would envision a nice evening.
But one of the best tings about me is that I don't think before I act. So I tie my shoes, put on my ninja suit and the black beanie and the gloves. I run down the stairs and over the bikers lanes of Göteborg. The temperature being below zero doesn't bother me that much. The breathing wasn't a problem. Over and over I tell myself that it's okay; I can do this. And I can. I manage the first time around. And I manage the second, and third.
Required time:
Half an hour a day at first. Doesn't matter how far you run, just run.
Cost:
€30-40 is the fee for a big race like Göteborgsvarvet. Then there are cheaper races and you can always run for free.
Cons:
It takes some time finding a running style. Some nights it can be tough to find the motivation to run. One tip is to run with a partner so you can incite each other.
Pros:
Getting in shape by running doesn't take long at all. Running regularly also has a calming as well as energizing affect on your mind.
