At some point last month I reached my one year runniversary. It was toward the end of March, I was getting emails about a 5K to raise money for cystic fibrosis (this year it's a walk instead), my parents came to visit (they did again last weekend), and I just had this overwhelming urge to give this running thing one last try.
And here we are today. Granted about 6 months within the last year I spent thinking about running and nursing an injury, and dreaming a lot about running marathons someday and buying fancy shoes and other gears. I lost 10 lbs but am having trouble losing more. It's still a struggle to balance everything but at least I'm moving.
Went for a run on Sunday (after my parents left) and a run yesterday. Both were hard for different reasons. I had trouble getting through 5 miles on Sunday, and I wasn't able to, leaving the gym 5 minutes before closing and not getting the run I needed. I kept stopping to walk, and changing the channels. There was nothing on TV that would keep me calm and occupied for the hour, and I had trouble keeping myself entertained.
Yesterday I did my first road run. The weather forecast reported low 70s and I thought, finally~ I didn't go far; I had to do 3 miles and I ended up running around the pond next to our building 3 times since it's close by, the laps are easier to remember, and if something goes wrong I could easily stop and go back. I had prepared to bring my shoes (with the Nike+ sensor), bra and pants to change, Garmin Forerunner 10, my cap and my SPI belt. I actually brought everything but the shoes... I put them in a bag and forgot about them. Luckily I was wearing sneakers that day anyway and I had run in them so they are somewhat safe. I did manage to loop the pond 3 times, the watch worked fine, the podcast was interesting, the weather accommodating (windy and cloudy but not too hot or cold), and plenty of people who had the same idea as me looping the pond in both directions.
It was only then I realized that my runs on the treadmill was getting me very, very complacent. I was struggling toward the end of first mile, received a mild shock at the concept of hills, had to stop and walk toward the end of mile 2, and my legs (thighs, butt, calves, and surprisingly only a little of the feet) are still hurting quite a bit this morning. I had to readjust my running pose to something more comfortable for road running where I actually had to push myself more to move ahead on immobile ground (so I had to lean forward more), I was painfully aware of how hard my feet were pounding the ground and legs not raised much. My cap was absorbing most of my sweat but I was still stuffy. But my eyes had so much more to see: the people, the scenery, the incoming cars... I think I will stick to the pond for a bit more until I get used to outdoor running before moving to somewhere more hilly and farther from home. I also need to start bringing a water bottle.
On the flip side, I spent way too much time yesterday (during work and after) struggling with modern technology, everything from a stupid printer to my various sports devices and music players. By the end, I connected my computer to another printer, decided that Nike+ on any Android device (maybe with the exception of Samsung, which I don't use) is just useless, wrote to Nike+ support so they can deal with another issue I was trying to resolve, updated my computer, bought myself a new (refurbished) iPod Touch (just for the heck of it, and at 2 am when I was extremely exhausted), and am still behind on work.
And I'm exhausted this morning, catching up on blogging.
I really hope the rest of the week is going to be better. It's been a long week and it's only Tuesday.
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