Welp! It's 8 months later and I'm still running. I cannot believe it. Really. I remember back in college when I worked at Great Harvest. A lot of my coworkers and our customers were runners and they would always be talking about it. I thought they were braggy and sadistic. :O The few times I had tried running were pretty much torture. Then I decided somewhere along the way that running couldn't possibly be good for you b/c of all the stress it causes on your joints, not to mention that juggling of your organs part.
I had no intention of ever running as a hobby or even for exercise but it has honestly become a huge happy part of my life. I really can't believe it. And now I totally get why people talk about it so much! It's a little bit life changing!
I had no intention of ever running as a hobby or even for exercise but it has honestly become a huge happy part of my life. I really can't believe it. And now I totally get why people talk about it so much! It's a little bit life changing!
It actually started right after Lucy was born when a few friends and I decided to walk 3 times a week. We would walk for about an hour in the morning and then let our kids play at the park. I got to know several awesome women from church and really looked forward to our time together. Actually as a side note, this is when I stopped hating Texas. Coincidence? :O
Anyway after a year of walking, a couple of my buddies moved away and a couple more had babies. But I also found that walking was making me restless and I was sort of fighting the urge to run. So I started run/walking with the boys to school. It was okay and I liked that I was working out while getting my kids where they needed to be. I'm all about consolidating.
Then two things happened. The first was that I read some of the book "Born to Run." Not sure if I even believe all his crazy adventures and not sure I have any interest in trying the five finger shoes. BUT... he reminded me how much I loved running as a kid. I mean, I loved it! My best friend Cheryl and I were the only girls in elementary to not join the safety patrol because we could not bear to miss recess. Ever. We played with the boys every day and I wasn't even really boy crazy yet! Games like Jailbreak, Cops and Robbers and tag of course. The book also stressed that running is very natural for humans and we're designed for it. I serioulsy had not sprinted as fast as I could in years and I wanted to feel that again. So then my awesome friend Jen told me I needed to get serious. So I did my first 3 miles ever. It was horrible and took me 37 minutes. But I was proud of myself for making it. I started running 3 times a week with a longer run on Saturdays and was amazed at how much easier it got with each run. About half the time I run with friends and it's so great to talk and laugh while we're getting some exercise.
I've also decided that I am not a treadmill person. Tried that a few years ago and detested it. Running outside makes all the difference. I'm a nature nerd and love looking at the trees and flowers or stars and sunrises. It puts me in a great mood. I kept thinking all summer long that I would probably stop running in the ridiculous heat and humidity but I really didn't want to. This was maybe the hottest Texas summer ever so I pretty much had to run at 6am or 8pm but that actually worked out. It will be so strange to run in cool weather. I'm thinking I'll like it. :) I also think it's sort of interesting to map out different trails and time myself to see how fast I can go. I'm not fast btw. The other thing I love about running is that I get a serious high afterwards. Yes I'm sore but I feel great and motivated.
For the first month I had some aches and pains. My IT band gave me a little trouble but two things seem to work for that. 1) I stretch it out using this big tube pillow that Curtis uses for his back and 2) I have to run 3 times per week. If I let 5 or 6 days go by without running my whole body complains. The good news about that is that it's helped me to stay consistent- which is pretty much a first as far as exercise goes for me.
So long story longer I'm signed up for a half marathon in a few weeks. I'm pretty nervous b/c I don't want to feel the pressure of everyone watching while I run... but I'm going with a bunch of cool girlfriends and my BF, Lou from high school is gonna be there too. We are so excited to just talk and catch up! I'm following the Hal Higdon Novice to Half Marathon plan and just did my first 9 mile. It went great. I cannot believe it! I've found that if I drink and eat really well the day before, get a decent sleep and have a banana with peanut butter before the run it goes very well. I also bought some energy fruity snacks and eating those halfway through gave me some energy. Haven't figured out the best way to carry water yet. Working on it...
Anyway after a year of walking, a couple of my buddies moved away and a couple more had babies. But I also found that walking was making me restless and I was sort of fighting the urge to run. So I started run/walking with the boys to school. It was okay and I liked that I was working out while getting my kids where they needed to be. I'm all about consolidating.
Then two things happened. The first was that I read some of the book "Born to Run." Not sure if I even believe all his crazy adventures and not sure I have any interest in trying the five finger shoes. BUT... he reminded me how much I loved running as a kid. I mean, I loved it! My best friend Cheryl and I were the only girls in elementary to not join the safety patrol because we could not bear to miss recess. Ever. We played with the boys every day and I wasn't even really boy crazy yet! Games like Jailbreak, Cops and Robbers and tag of course. The book also stressed that running is very natural for humans and we're designed for it. I serioulsy had not sprinted as fast as I could in years and I wanted to feel that again. So then my awesome friend Jen told me I needed to get serious. So I did my first 3 miles ever. It was horrible and took me 37 minutes. But I was proud of myself for making it. I started running 3 times a week with a longer run on Saturdays and was amazed at how much easier it got with each run. About half the time I run with friends and it's so great to talk and laugh while we're getting some exercise.
I've also decided that I am not a treadmill person. Tried that a few years ago and detested it. Running outside makes all the difference. I'm a nature nerd and love looking at the trees and flowers or stars and sunrises. It puts me in a great mood. I kept thinking all summer long that I would probably stop running in the ridiculous heat and humidity but I really didn't want to. This was maybe the hottest Texas summer ever so I pretty much had to run at 6am or 8pm but that actually worked out. It will be so strange to run in cool weather. I'm thinking I'll like it. :) I also think it's sort of interesting to map out different trails and time myself to see how fast I can go. I'm not fast btw. The other thing I love about running is that I get a serious high afterwards. Yes I'm sore but I feel great and motivated.
For the first month I had some aches and pains. My IT band gave me a little trouble but two things seem to work for that. 1) I stretch it out using this big tube pillow that Curtis uses for his back and 2) I have to run 3 times per week. If I let 5 or 6 days go by without running my whole body complains. The good news about that is that it's helped me to stay consistent- which is pretty much a first as far as exercise goes for me.
So long story longer I'm signed up for a half marathon in a few weeks. I'm pretty nervous b/c I don't want to feel the pressure of everyone watching while I run... but I'm going with a bunch of cool girlfriends and my BF, Lou from high school is gonna be there too. We are so excited to just talk and catch up! I'm following the Hal Higdon Novice to Half Marathon plan and just did my first 9 mile. It went great. I cannot believe it! I've found that if I drink and eat really well the day before, get a decent sleep and have a banana with peanut butter before the run it goes very well. I also bought some energy fruity snacks and eating those halfway through gave me some energy. Haven't figured out the best way to carry water yet. Working on it...
Someone asked me if I was still in the honeymoon phase of running. That sort of bummed me out b/c I'll be sad if I just stop liking it one day. But three of my good friends here have all been running for years and said they all still love it! So there's hope. Wish me luck on the race. :)
