Archive for category Running
Great run, but I’m going to suffer for it.
My legs are not going to be happy with me tomorrow.
Don’t get me wrong, this was an amazing run. Unfortunately scheduling didn’t work out so that Katie and I could run together. We both suffered for it, because we didn’t have help keeping pace.
Running update
So Friday was an “off” day, so we just walked for 30 minutes. Boring as hell, but necessary, especially since we’re just starting to run, and I’m horribly out of shape.
Saturday night, I noticed that after walking for like 30 seconds, my shins were killing me. I’ve had a little shin pain when starting out like that, but it went away, especially once I started running. Last night, it did not. I tried to run a little to see if it would fix things, but it didn’t and I had to quit early. Turns out that, even though none of the beginner guides for running I read mentioned it, stretching before you start is a bad idea. If you stretch at all you should wait until after walking or jogging slowly for 5 minutes. I had been stretching the whole time but didn’t have this kind of reaction… I guess I just happened to stretch it too far.
Tonight’s run was much better, though still bad. I didn’t stretch, and I could tell a difference immediately. I was much more comfortable in the beginning than I have been. However, hurting myself a little yesterday caught up to me, and after walking 5 minutes and running 4, I decided to just walk out the rest of the 30 minutes.
Katie and I both got Nike + attachments for our iPods, so we can track things and compare runs to see where we can improve. You can see my run data to the left. Unfortunately, I paused the workout and even though I thought I had resumed it, I apparently did not, so the current data only reflects the first 13 minutes. Yay for being able to mix running with geekiness.
Tomorrow is a full off day. No running or walking, to give the muscles time to recover and build up. Hopefully Tuesday will be a good satisfying run, I’m really missing it already. It’s discouraging to have two unsuccessful runs in a row, but you have to run before you walk I guess, no pun intended.
The second run was better than the first.
We went into tonight’s run with the intention of taking it easy, since we were both a little sore from last night’s run (keep in mind that we have both been exercise-phobic for years… we’re geeks, what can I say). However, once we got started, we got a better rhythm and pace, or maybe we were just more ready for it, but we ended up running harder tonight and for longer stretches at a time.
The new shoes definitely helped as well. I was running on a pair of Brooks Beasts last night that my friend Andrew gave me years ago. Turns out they are for people with close to no arches, and I have average arches. I got a pair of Saucony Progrid Guide 2’s which are like heaven in shoe form.
Whether it was better pacing or better shoes, I have far less pain than last night. I was able to get my heart rate up higher and get out of breath some since my shins weren’t aching almost immediately.
Two runs so far, that’s all, and already I feel SO much better. Sleep came so easily last night, and I had so much energy today. I’ve been in an amazing mood all day.
As I was trying out different shoes at Runabout Sports in Blacksburg (amazing, amazing store) I was running around the store, and just that little bit of running was like waving a bag of coke in front of a junkie. I found myself daydreaming about the run all day. I can totally see how people get addicted to this. In fact, I’m well on my way.
In totally unrelated news, if you haven’t heard of Amanda Palmer, check her out. It’s imperative. AMAZING music. Here’s my favorite song.
I feel amazing, and I feel terrible.
I just went for a run. Since high school, 10 years ago, I have exercised by choice once. Sure there have been days at work when I have to move things, but that doesn’t count really.
One of my best friends in the world, who blogs at slimminsam.com, is shooting for losing over 200 pounds. He started at 419, and is working his way to 200. So far, he has lost 79 pounds, and he has only been going a few months.
The task before me is much simpler. I really only need to lose about 40 pounds to get to my ideal weight. I don’t care so much about the weight though. Whenever I walk for more than like 10 minutes at a time, my legs ache. I have used the phrase for years, “my body is betraying me” when something weird was going on, but in truth it’s the opposite. I have been betraying my body by not exercising at all.
So, the run tonight was 30 minutes. Katie and I went out not expecting much, but we ended up running about half of the time. I definitely wasn’t counting on running more than 10 of it. I never got out of breath, the problem was just my legs aching.
So I’m telling you, the interwebs world, about this in hopes that I feel that I have someone keeping tabs on me, so I don’t give it up. Katie running with me will help wonders, I’m glad that she agreed to it– without a running partner it would be very easy to give up.
Here’s to health!