Sheinelle Jones is running the New York City Marathon. Her 4 tips for training as a newbie

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TODAY’s Sheinelle Jones is done with saying she can’t do hard things. And she's putting that mindset to the test by running the New York City Marathon.

The TODAY co-host and mom of three has been sharing her journey to race day, first opening up to Jenna Bush Hager on the Aug. 11 episode of TODAY with Hoda and Jenna.

"When I turned 40, I wanted to change the narrative in my head that I can do hard things, and so I ran a half marathon, and I swore I would never do it again," she said. "It was very difficult, after it was over, my legs were like, 'What just happened?' And so now I just turned 45, and I'm going to try to do hard things again. And so I'm going to run the New York City Marathon."

Jenna said Women’s Health magazine needs to feature Sheinelle on their cover — and she spoke the collab into fruition: Sheinelle recently shared some of her training methods and the tough lessons she's learned with the magazine.

Jenna said one of the favorite things Sheinelle told her as she's been preparing for the race in November is other people's reactions.

"Everybody's been telling me I'm crazy. My assistant here at work, she said, 'What are you doing?' My uncle ... he said, 'What are you doing?' And everybody's biggest critique is that I don't have time," she said.

Sheinelle has three young children, high pressure job and she often has to travel for work, but she's determined to make time for the things that are important to her.

"Everybody says we don't have time, but we do have time to make time for ourselves. I have to be about that," she said. "And so whether it takes scheduling, because I pick up my kids every day from school, I am just going to figure it out and change the narrative that we can't do things because we don't have time."

Sheinelle added she wants to show you don't have to be an athlete to do hard physical health challenges.

"I want to prove that just the average girl, we can do it," she said. "I am 4'11". I am not a model. I'm not a runner, but we can do this!"

She echoed this sentiment during a segment on Sept. 11. "My hope for you is that you’ll do something hard,” she said in reference to her sharing her training journey with the TODAY audience. She hopes to inspire others beyond the world of fitness, too: "If you have always wanted to paint, or play the guitar, or whatever it is that you've always wanted to do, I say now is the time. That's my goal. it doesn't have to be athletic. We give so much to everyone else ... I think we should pour into ourselves."

Sheinelle's marathon training journey

The road to 26 miles has been a slow and steady one. “Initially five miles seemed like crazy town, so now when I’m aiming for 12 on the weekend, five doesn’t seem so bad,” she said.

During the segment on September 11, Sheinelle was joined by her trainer, Nike running coach Jes Woods, to share an update on her progress. And when it comes to fitness, Sheinelle really is just like the rest of us.

Sheinelle joked about her dollar-store socks and "Cool Mom" t-shirt. "She’s very relatable, that’s for sure," Woods responded. "It shows that sometimes all you need to do is show up and go for a run."

On a more serious note, Woods said that "Sheinelle is an amazing trainee who asks a lot of questions and is really invested in how to progress and especially how to prevent injury."

But sometimes those questions are a tactic to delay the workout, said Woods. "Sheinelle tends to procrastinate a little before we start running. She'll always have a bunch of questions or just want to chat, but once we get going she really shows up," she added.

And once she hits the pavement, Sheinelle surprises herself with how much she can accomplish. "Sheinelle is always surprised at her pace," said Woods. "When I tell her what we'll be doing she's always underestimating her ability and then she will go faster than she anticipated or feel fine after a long run or a fast run."

Tips for new marathon runners

"What I've learned is that running isn't aways just running," said Sheinelle. "Some days you'll run for just 30 minutes, other days you'll run for a longer amount of time, but the goal is to get to 26 miles."

Woods shared three tips that have helped Sheinelle during her training journey — and she says they can work for anyone who is new to running.

• Go for minutes, not miles: "My biggest advice for beginner runners is to start running for minutes instead of miles and by effort and feel over pace," said Woods. "Running is hard enough as it is, no need to make a hard thing harder. If you're going out for your first run, maybe its just a ten-minute run and maybe that ten-minute run is broken up by a run/walk." In fact, her first run with Sheinelle was a run/walk with two minutes on, two minutes off. "Giving yourself time goals instead of a distance goal where you might set yourself up for disappointment, why do that? Learning to run by feel is my number one tip."
• Try a gait analysis: Woods recommended seeing a physical therapist to set you up for success at the beginning of your running journey. She introduced Sheinelle to the importance of "prehab before a race," including a form assessment to help identify strengths and weaknesses. "I had to lean forward a little more, I needed to improve my cadence," Sheinelle said. Her analysis revealed that her cadence — or steps she takes per minute — increases when she listens to music. She also learned that she needs to work on her hip and pelvic mobility, which she does with lots of stretches and warm ups before her runs.
• Prioritize warming up and cooling down. Jumping right into a run and not stretching after is a common newbie mistake — one Sheinelle is careful not make. She warms up with moves like cat cow, hamstring stretches and knee hug marches; then she cools down with child's pose, spine twist and some breathing exercises. She says triangle breathing is one of her favorite techniques. To perform: Inhale for three counts, hold breath for three counts, and exhale out of the mouth for three counts. Repeat for 60 seconds.
• Find your crew: Sheinelle has received an outpouring of support from her family, colleagues and even the Start TODAY community, who sent in words of encouragement that were shared with Sheinelle live on air. Woods said finding support in your running journey is crucial, whether it’s a local running group, virtual club, online coach or friends from work.

https://www.today.com/health/diet-fitness/sheinelle-jones-running-nyc-marathon-rcna99471This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

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