Katies running tips

There’s no such thing as a bad run Kate

Yeah, yeah, Dad, okay then..

I thought he must be joking. I was so slow during that route. The endless cycle of thoughts begin…

• I’m too slow
• I’m not a good enough runner
• That was such a bad run..

Sound familiar? Let me stop you there. Right, repeat after me: There is no such thing as a bad run.

Not every run will feel perfect

Don’t get me wrong, not every single run will give you the dreamiest “runner’s high”. I admit that, of course. You’re not going to feel that rush, that adrenaline and that next level excitement after every single run. You just won’t. It doesn’t work like that.

So, why bother? Well, it’s a hobby, and like anything, “practice makes perfect”. You have to work at it. Sometimes you’ll go for a run, and you might feel light, bouncy, and brilliant. You’ll finish your run and feel elated. You’ll still have worked hard; sure. But you’ll be buzzing. Take in that deserved runner’s high.

But sometimes, there will be a run that won’t feel quite the same. Your legs might feel heavy. You might not be able to get the right natural rhythm that usually comes with ease. Your shoulders are tense. Your breathing is a bit off. And that just makes the whole thing harder, because you’re struggling how to breathe. Now you’re frustrated that you shouldn’t have come on a run because you’re “not a good runner” and you get in your head about it.

And now you’re not in the best mood, and so it’s a vicious cycle. You can’t seem to get into the swing of the run, and you really don’t want to be running any more. And you’re convinced, well, ever again.. Never.

But you will run again

You’ll finish that run, and yeah you’ll probably feel really deflated that you didn’t get a personal best, or whatever. You’re just really gutted. It does happen, I won’t sugar coat it. But here’s the thing:

What you do NOW, counts the most.

You have 2 options.

1. Give up
2. Try again

That’s it you’ve officially decided to never run again. Throw the towel in. Give up. You’re not very good at this. Oh well. You’ll find another hobby.

Or..

Give yourself a break. Go about your day. Mentally move on. Eat something good, rehydrate, and then in a few days, or a week, whatever you feel is right, try again. It doesn’t have to be far or long. Just start with 5, 10 or 15 minutes. Start with something. And see how you feel.. Remember, not every run is a bad run either. And if your last run was totally awful, this run is mathematically less likely to be.

And often, if you’re facing round 2 after a bad round 1, that second attempt usually goes better. Things work better. You get your rhythm back. You can breathe again. And you never know. You might actually enjoy yourself..

Don’t give up. That’s your running tip. You owe it to future you!

Written by Katie McDonald, 1st April 2025.

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When I was growing up, I didn’t really understand what self love was. And I only really got a deep understanding of what that meant, and a firm grasp on it myself when I went through therapy; my full story on that is over here.And now, years later, I’m 29 writing this, and I definitely wholeheartedly use running as a type of self love.

Lots of people read; I just don’t have the attention span to stay focused on the sentences! Some people game or stream; I tried to get into that, tried to become a ‘girl gamer’, and I just got frustrated. It wasn’t for me.

Now, I have lots of ways I give myself care.

My top tips to great selfcare

• A good bubble bath with relaxing bath salts – not too hot (I have ezcema so this is important, otherwise it can make really itchy)
• A good face mask or nail painting session.
• A good run!

How’s running good for self love?

It might not seem believable when you see so many runners in the middle of their run, and they don’t look very happy! Everything is aching, something is cramping, they’re tired and they just want to stop now. So how’s that good self love?

Well, the idea of “no pain, no gain” is slightly at play here, in my opinion. When you get through that ‘wall’, there’s nothing quite like knowing you did it.

Every run is proof that you CAN

While the physical impact of running is obviously intense, pushing through and proving you can do it, is incredibly empowering.  For example, we live near a bit of a hill, and every single time I go for a run outdoors, I have to face that uphill battle at the end of my route.

Think of it like this. If every single time you face that hill, and you do it, you’re giving your brain evidence that you can do hard things. That’s a form of self love people!

Learning to love your puffy, red, runner’s face

I follow my dad in this respect. And I bet lots of runners go really red when they’ve been running. I’ve often come back from a run and someone will look at me shocked.. because I look so red.

Blimey, good run, was it?

Yes, it was, hard. That’s usually what I’ll say. But it’s normally pride answering! This red puffy face tells me I’ve worked my 29 year old body hard. I’ve exercised it. And as I grow older into my 60s, 70s, 80s.. That body will thank me.

I run for me. But I run for the elderly lady version of me too. I want to get to 70 or 80 and not feel broken.. Or at least, less broken than the average 80 year old!

Let me go back to that red puffy face..

I’m a very fair-skinned, freckly, long-legged, frizzy haired brunette. And I’ve struggled with the freckles, the frizz and the pale complexion for years. But when I see my face go all red and sweaty… It reminds me that I’m so much more than that.

You’re so much more than what you look like. My red puffy face, and her heart, and legs and machine of a cardio body, can do hard things! I get enjoyment out of steadily jogging for an hour. I push my body’s capabilities and find it a hobby I quite like…

So, actually, running reminds me that there’s beauty and magic in that. It can teach you to shift your perspective… So, let me re-frame my first statement to this:

My mom gave me wavy brown curls, I’m tall, and even though I don’t tan very well, my heart is in really good health and I’m thankful for that!

Written by Katie McDonald, 1st April 2025.

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When I first started running 10 years ago, my dad taught me that it was important to cool down properly, and then stretch. He followed this up by:

You should probably keep moving throughout the day or the next day too – it helps things not seize up.

So I followed that exact routine, and for many years, it worked. As I hit my mid 20s, I occasionally forgot, and I have to say, I really felt the difference, in a bad way. So now,:

I make a point (to myself) to stretch before and after every single run.

So why is this controversial?

Because you’d be surprised how many people (mostly online) have said to me one of the following:

• “I can take it or leave it, it doesn’t really matter”
• “No, I don’t notice a difference, so I don’t bother”
• “Don’t stretch, never have, never will”

And I think this controversy started to show me why so many people when they start running get confused. And you can see why. There’s so many questions when you start running…

1. What do I wear?
2. What should I eat before, and after a run?
3. Should I stretch?
4. How fast should I be running?
5. How often should I be running?

Well let’s that that middle one for now.

Stretching

Clearly, there’s a mixed opinion online of some people who run. I’ve been ‘told’ by some of those runners stretching “doesn’t do anything”. And their opinion is of course, fair enough. You do you 🙂 But, for me, stretching makes a noticeable difference and I think my running would genuinely be impacting if I didn’t do it.

I stretch before a run

I do a full body stretch; well that’s what I call it anyway.  Here’s a video on how I stretch before a run.

But to be totally honest, I don’t do it just to get my body warmed up. Stretching helps me mentally prepare too. So it distracts me from thinking whether I want to run or not! Your mind can do all sorts to you before you go for a run. It’s why so many run-procastinate! If you just get your running kit on and do your stretches, that can help; normally, I’d put my headphones on too so my brain is distracted with music too..

And I stretch after a run

Now this is one I have to force myself to do sometimes. Have you ever finished a run, felt good, and thought, “nah I don’t need to I feel great”? Yep, me too!

But honestly, do it anyway. That’s a case of the “runner’s high” and your endorphins are pumping telling you “you’re invincible”.  But trust me. Soon enough after you’ve cooled down, you might start feeling a bit stiff..

I don’t stretch for long! In fact, most times I just take less than 5 minutes… while I wait for the shower to get the right temperature! So I’ll have done my run, stretched it out and then get into a nice cool shower.

You do you

Of course, based on my experience, my tip is to do your stretches –  otherwise, you can feel heavy and tense and stiff later on or the next day. When I do stretch, I feel lighter. I don’t feel as though my legs are super heavy – something you might feel when you get out of bed the next day, or when you stand up hours later..

But if you really don’t want, or don’t think it’s worth it.. you do you! Enjoy your running, that’s what it’s all about!

Written by Katie McDonald, 1st April 2025.

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I started running over 10 years ago when my dad introduced me to running. We’d often go running together and that was my little running community. Me and dad. He was much more experienced, having done multiple marathons and crazy races like Race The Train. Fast forward to now, in 2025, and my running community has changed a little!

My Dad and I

Don’t get me wrong, running will now and always be our thing to talk about. When mom’s out the room (she doesn’t enjoy running the same way we do) or when we both have days off. It’s relatable common ground and we can share our running thoughts and experiences. Whether I’m training for something, or he’s been out for a gentle jog (he’s nearly 60!) and doesn’t want to over-do it, we’ll still touch base and check in together.

‘Run-stagram’

I’ve been posting screenshots of my runs since I started running. It was a hobby and I just wanted to share with the world outside of dad! I’d recently started a blog about running (This one!), called Life of a Miss Fit, and so I just took a picture with Runkeeper (an app that tracks my runs), wrote a caption about how I felt it had gone, and posted. That’s all it was.

I wasn’t trying to gain followers or over think about the hashtags! I was just sharing my little running thing on my corner of the internet; and then occasionally I’d write a blog about it on here too.

Now in March 2025, I have a little following of over 300 people on my running Instagram… That doesn’t sound like much in a world of influencers. But imagine if you stood in a room and 300 people walked in and said they wanted to hear what you had to say..

Now that’s something huh?

Then I found Parkrun

I started doing Parkruns in 2024; it’s a community-led 5K run every Saturday. You can walk, run, spectate or volunteer and all ages and abilities are welcomed!

It’s not about the ‘race’, although you do get a time at the end and it’s all recorded (which is great for those more ambitious, competitive runners training for something!). It’s just about waking up on a Saturday morning, showing up in a field or park with over 100 (ish) other strangers all about to run 5K together..

You listen to the safety talk by the volunteer officials, and then at the sound of the klaxon, go!

It’s quite something.. You’re suddenly running or jogging, as long as you’re moving.. with all these strangers. And then within half hour, I was done! I ran passed the big archway and I’d done it!

You never felt too slow because it’s a community event, and a great way to start running and feel the true enjoyment of it. The best part? Parkrun is completely free!

The running community helps me endlessly

The community is a huge part of why I love running… Life is busy, and there’s an awful lot going on in the world, from COVID to the war in the Ukraine. You just have to open social media, or put on your radio or the news for one minute and you can hear it… All of it.

That’s why I love having my online running community. So that when I need some positivity and encouragement outside of all that, when all that is very much happening, I have it at my fingertips.

I can log in to my Life of a Miss Fit – on TikTok, mostly Instagram though, and my feed is full of like-minded people running, and enjoying it. And encouraging each other. No-one’s comparing or judging. Everyone is doing their best to get out for a run, feel good, feel happy, feel together. That’s why running is all about..

So my tips to you are here… Share online – you’re not alone! – and run with friends or family.. Just start posting and sharing and you’ll soon have a little bank of running diaries…

Written by Katie McDonald, 31st March 2025.

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