I've been running for a while now. As someone who spends 10+ hours a day staring at a screen, picking up running was probably one of the best decisions I've made.
Why I Started
No dramatic origin story here. One day I noticed my gut had grown a size, I was winded after climbing four flights of stairs, and my lower back hurt constantly from sitting all day. Something had to change.
I tried the gym — bought a membership, went three times, never went back. Running was different. Zero friction: shoes on, door open, go. No reservations, no equipment, no small talk. For an introverted developer, it's perfect.
Tracking Beats Willpower
The first two weeks ran on novelty. After that, the excuses kicked in: too tired, too hot, I'll go tomorrow.
What actually worked for me was logging. After every run, I open Notion and fill in one row — date, distance, pace, how I felt. Nothing fancy. But when you see a table with 15 consecutive entries, skipping a day feels like breaking a streak.
As developers, we already believe in data-driven decisions. Turns out, the same principle works for building habits.
My Running Log
All my data lives in a public Notion page:
It includes distance, pace, route, and brief notes for each run. It's not a professional training log, but it does the job.
What Changed
After a few months, the biggest difference wasn't weight loss (though that happened too) — it was energy. I used to crash hard at 3 PM every afternoon. Now I can stay sharp well into the evening. My code is better for it.
If you're a developer glued to a chair, give it a shot. You don't need to be fast or go far. Just get out the door.