Gerry Dee on the emotional stages of going for your first run

Canadian actor and comedian Gerry Dee took to Twitter on Monday to let the world know that he was going for a run, and his thread of tweets was a pretty good outline of what every new runner (or runner returning to the sport after a long hiatus) experiences their first time out for a jog. Running isn’t easy, and if you’re new to the sport, it’ll take a while for you to find your groove. Learn from Mr. D (as he was known in his CBC sitcom of the same name) and get to know the emotional stages of your first run.

Going for a 1km run. Will let you know if I finish it.

— Gerry Dee (@gerrydee) April 26, 2021

“I’ll be in touch”

Dee’s first tweet was a quick one. “Going for a 1km run,” he wrote. “Will let you know if I finish it.” Every runner has been here. You’re planning to go for a run, and no matter how short it might be, you want to make sure that your family or roommates know where you’ll be and that you might need to be picked up. You hope to make it back home by yourself, but you never know what might happen out there, so you figure it’s best to have a plan in place before you leave.

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“This is far”

Dee’s next tweet said, “Still on my run. 1km is further than I remember.” Whether you’re going for a 1K run or a 10K, if it’s your first run ever or your first run in a while, you’re probably going to have a moment when you go, “This is really far.” At this point, you can either call for the backup that you arranged before leaving your house, or you can power forward and try to reach the finish line.

Pumping yourself up

In that same tweet, Dee wrote, “Playing ‘Eye of The Tiger’ in my pods. Should help. Stay tuned.” If you’ve decided to stick it out and finish what you started, you’re going to have to try to amp yourself up to get in the zone. For Dee, that’s a motivational song, which could work pretty well. Give it a try yourself next time you’re in this situation.

RELATED: The 7 emotional stages of your first really hot run

Distractions arise

Up next in Dee’s Twitter thread was a post that said, “Damn Apple Music sharing! ‘I Wanna Know What Love Is’ just started playing from my wife’s playlist. Now I’m running and crying.” We get this is a joke, but it represents a legit part of a tough run. Even if you don’t mean to do it, your brain might look for distractions and reasons to slow down. That distraction might come in the form of a friend passing by who you just have to talk to, something on your phone or anything else. Whatever the case, don’t let it stop you. Keep running.

You made it

“Just finished. 12 mins. Good start,” Dee tweeted. As hard as the whole ordeal was, when you make it home, you tell yourself it really wasn’t that bad. Since that’s the case, why not go for another run tomorrow? We can’t promise it’ll be easy right away, but soon enough, you’ll be cruising through these runs, and Mr. D’s Twitter thread will be a long-forgotten memory.