5 stages of running, not everyone can reach stage 5. Which stage are you in?

Running is a unique form of exercise that not only helps you achieve physical health but also provides mental relief. During the process of running, people can relax and detach themselves from the complexities of daily life, and appreciate the gifts of nature. Running is also an effective way to regulate one’s mental state, which can help alleviate stress and boost self-confidence.

Running can also be seen as a learning experience in life. It can teach people to become stronger, constantly challenge themselves, and strive to achieve their dreams.

Most runners go through 5 stages during this process, but not everyone reaches the 5th stage.

1. The initial period of torment

It is the beginning stage for runners, during which they will gradually become familiar with their body, adjust their pace, and slowly establish a habit of running.

At this time, our bodies are still in a period of “hardship and endurance”, having to endure the suffering and pain that comes from our bodies every day.

At this stage, runners may not yet feel the “enjoyment of running” that experienced runners talk about. For novice runners, running is not an easy task. The chest tightness and shortness of breath during running, and the muscle soreness after running, do not make people fall in love with running.

However, as our physical abilities improve, we will gradually adapt to running and eventually be able to easily complete 3 kilometers, 5 kilometers, or even 10 kilometers.

The main purpose of this stage is to help your body adapt to running, with a focus on physical fitness. Only after strengthening the body through exercise can one better adapt to running.

Only by increasing strength and endurance can you prepare for the next stage of challenges.

Things to note at this stage:

1. Don’t rush to improve running speed and distance. Take a gradual approach.
2. Don’t focus too much on pace and distance. Focus on the running experience. As long as you can complete it easily, it is fine.
3. Pay attention to the intensity of running. Don’t push yourself too hard or make it too easy.
4. Don’t focus on the result when running. Enjoy the process, as that is the most important thing.

2. Confident Stage

This stage is the “confident stage” for runners who have passed the novice stage. Runners in this stage become more and more excited, motivated every day, and feel alive and energetic every day.

This stage is also a period of rapid improvement in running level. Excited runners secrete more dopamine while running, making it more enjoyable.

If you can persist to this stage, it shows that your running ability is already very good.

At this time, you start to deeply fall in love with running, integrate it into your life, and even feel uncomfortable if you don’t run for a day. Therefore, you begin to demand that you must run every day, fearing that you will stagnate if you don’t run for a day.

Therefore, you should pay attention to the following points during this stage:

1. Do not run without resting every day. It will increase the risk of injury and lead to muscle soreness, knee wear, and tear, etc.
2. Do not excessively pursue pace. When running, control your speed within your own limit and do not excessively pursue pace.
3. Pay attention to rest. After running for a period of time, take a break and allow your body to fully recover before starting to exercise again.

3. Pursuit of Performance Period

During this stage, runners will focus more on self-improvement, constantly surpassing themselves, and hoping to reach their highest level.

The pursuit of running is not just limited to daily running volume, but also includes running volume and speed. Therefore, they will strive to increase their running volume, believing that the more running volume, the better.

They pay special attention to running volume and speed, making these two indicators the core goals of running.

This is also the stage that is most prone to injury. High volume and high speed running puts more pressure on the body. At the beginning, you may not feel tired, but after a period of time, you will feel fatigued, and your body is more prone to injury.

If you are at this stage, you must control the intensity of your running. You can slow down your speed and reduce the intensity.

Running excessively will lead to faster decline in physical fitness.

4. Period of Frequent Competitions

After going through the first three stages of training, the body has established a certain foundation and the ability is comparatively stronger.

At this stage, the experience of competitions will become more and more abundant. I enjoy participating in various competitions, enjoying the atmosphere of the competition, and the joy of achieving a personal best.

Some runners sign up for every race they can, while others sign up for a full marathon and aim for a personal best after only a few months of running. Some runners even love to participate in back-to-back races.

In fact, excessive participation in races is not only detrimental to physical health, but also hinders the improvement of running ability. To achieve outstanding results, runners should follow the principle of “train more, race less, and accumulate experience for future breakthroughs.”

5. Returning to the Initial Stage

As running skills improve and physical fitness increases, running distance gradually increases as well. At this stage, the goal of running with ease can be achieved.

Although running speed has increased, many problems may arise during the running process, such as body pain, fatigue, and incorrect running posture.

As runners spend more time running, some start to realize that running is not just about quantity and speed, but also about health, happiness, and spiritual liberation.

They begin to try different ways of running, such as relaxing the body and mind while running, listening to the sounds of nature, admiring the surrounding scenery, feeling their own progress, sharing happiness and achievements while running, running with friends, and competing with themselves while running.

The ultimate goal of running is not to pursue quantity and speed, but rather a spiritual and physical liberation, and ultimately a spiritual and physical sublimation.

Starting from slow to fast, and then from fast to slow, this indicates that we have entered the stage of returning to the basics.

Running is for better health, happiness, confidence, and strength!

Every runner will experience different stages. This is the beauty of the running process, which provides different experiences. Only by experiencing it can we understand its meaning.