Thanks to marketing and social media, running classes are presented to girls or aunts in the form of glamorous sneakers, long-sleeve hoodies (a hoodie and a t-shirt with sleeves are not fashionable), motivating selfies with the obligatory pathetic captions in English, and training in a party format. Plus a perfect figure, because everyone knows that running makes you lose weight and your legs grow from your ears. And you, so beautiful, strong and unstoppable, fly towards the dawn with a spiritual expression on your face... Of course, you can't say that all this is not true - rather, only a glossy part of the truth. As always, there is a flip side – less appetizing?

Have you noticed how different the hands of a villager with a farm and a garden are, and the keyboard and mouse of an office worker? Even if you imagine that the first one does weekly manicures in the salon and regularly uses creams, masks, and lotions, you cannot hide working hands that do a lot of physical labor. Unfortunately, it's the same story with working legs that run a lot.

The longer the distances and the greater the volume of running, the stronger the load on the feet, and the less ideal their condition and pedicure. Calluses, small abrasions, calluses, damaged nails (and if you didn't guess with the shoes, as is often the case with beginners, then black dropouts) - haven't you changed your mind about running yet? ? Of course, all this does not happen at once and at the same time, but it happens. To finish, I will add that many amateur runners note an increase in the size of their feet.

At first, everything looks normal, just the shoe collection is replenished with cute sneakers. Then you start preparing for a marathon and put on comfortable shoes so as not to strain your feet before a difficult workout. Well, after running 30 kilometers, the next day you least want to shove your tired feet into the pads of narrow high-heeled shoes. Then all these beautiful model shoes begin to press and interfere, and you increasingly make a choice in favor of convenience. Final Stage of Degradation: Do you wear running shoes as casual footwear whenever possible, including with skirts and dresses?

Dream shoe shopping now looks like this

A standard scenario looks like this: you are determined to lose weight and go for a run. You run a few kilometers and are very pleased with yourself. Fresh air + moderate exercise = good appetite. The problem is that the consumption of calories at a short distance is very modest (experiment with calculators for the sake of interest), a ravenous appetite easily compensates for it and adds on top. Plus the psychological trap "I ran, so I can afford more delicious food." Conclusion: you run persistently for x months, the effect is zero.

Many people manage to gain weight even when preparing for a marathon: in addition to appetite, there is such a factor as the need for good recovery, including with the help of sufficient nutrition. She ate badly - she didn't recover - she won't have enough strength for the next training session. The result is overeating. To find your own in-out balance, you will need experience, control and the ability to observe your body.

If you learn to feel your balance, you can eat quite a lot with marathon volumes. 

If your goal is to get in good shape, pure running is a useless method. It is more effective to spend this time on strength training in the gym and optimizing nutrition. By doing only running, you will at best lose weight (if you don't overeat) and improve the shape of your legs (if you don't like bony model limbs, but legs with muscles). From above, a dubious result is obtained, especially when dried for long distances. Just look at the figures of professional marathon runners.

Paula Radcliffe, world record number 1 in the marathon

Liliya Shobukhova, world record number 2 in the marathon

Jogging outside in the summer is a noticeable tan not only on the face. Only on other parts it appears in the form of a T-shirt and shorts. With regular running and irregular visits to the beach, it is problematic to compare this.

How we imagine ourselves running and how we actually look are very different things. Watching the video is a shock. Well, couldn't this person who can barely move with his legs (by the way, it was a finishing acceleration!) with strangely moving hands and an aristocratic little finger put aside for some reason, be me, I run beautifully and technically?

Somewhere like that

Want progress and improved results? So, you have to step out of your comfort zone. Few people get to portray a spiritual face from an advertisement in their life, the process of suffering and patience rarely adorns a woman. You will still have to sweat a lot, and your skin will be covered with salt. If you work well on the intervals or at the finish line, it can be naturally boring. In short, running is a physiological process, and far from all manifestations of physiology look aesthetically pleasing.

One day you find yourself enthusiastically discussing the intricacies of ... er ... the workings of the digestive system in male company. Or thoroughly changes clothes next to someone's car on the central street of the city. Or uses the bushes closest to the start instead of the appropriate booth (there, as always, there is a too long queue) together with fellow runners. The concept of the norm shifts imperceptibly, and excessive modesty and shyness disappear somewhere. Are you turning from a woman of mystery into an asexual runner?