Thoughts on running
1. The beginning - I started running (consistently) in May of this year. It began when I realized that I had some love handles that seemed to have appeared over night. I knew that I needed to get rid of them, and I felt that I could benefit from some regular excersize (the only regular exercise that Tommy and I do are ultimate games every Thursday night except in the winter months when it isn't offered). Knowing that I hated running, I started walking. I would walk every other day after work. After 3 days of walking, I suddenly got the urge to run. I felt like walking just wasn't cutting it. I haven't looked back since. I've been running every Monday and Wednesday morning, and then once on the weekend. Charleston summers are very hot, so running in the morning was the only way that I was able to take the heat, and even then, I struggled a few times.
2. Pace - I could never seem to do better than a 12 minute mile when running for more than one mile. My most comfortable route is a 2-mile loop around our neighborhood. I did way better than this 12 minute pace in college, so I knew that I had it in me, it just didn't seem to be coming out. Then one day recently I decided that it was time for me to break through and run a 10-minute/mile pace for two miles. I concentrated really hard and stopped being lazy, and found that it wasn't any harder, I just had to concentrate really hard to keep up the pace. I do this in ultimate too, where I get really lazy and run really slow. I have to admit that this 10-minute pace also happened at the same time that we got some cool weather. Instead of running when it is in the mid to high 80s, I am running when it is in the low 80s (or like tonight when it was down to the high 70s!!! YAY FALL!). So maybe the extreme heat and humidity contribute to my slow running.
3. Appetite - Only recently have I started eating more. It is very strange actually. I eat more during each meal, but I am not hungry in between meals. Usually at work I start to get hungry around 4 or 5. By the time I get home, I am starving. But with this increased appetite, I seem to stay full in between meals. The evening hunger usually doesn't hit me now until about 7.
4. Solo please - When I first started running I thought that it would be nice to have a running partner. But I quickly realized that I like running by myself. A few times I quit running before my time was up, and I didn't feel bad. Once my knee got achy so I stopped. Another time I just didn't feel like running, so I stopped. And I didn't have to feel bad that I was letting someone down. I also enjoy being able to listen to my ipod and not feel pressured into having to talk to someone running alongside me. Some days I feel like I would improve faster if I had someone to run with so that we could challenge each other, but I found that once I started wearing my watch, I got very competitive with myself.
5. The bridge - Charleston doesn't have hills, but it has the bridge. I want to conquer the bridge by the end of October (I will consider it conquered once I can run the whole length of it (1 mile uphill, steep, 1.5 miles down the other side, a little less steep).
6. What running doesn't do for me - One thing that I miss about climbing is muscle soreness. I used to climb two times a week when I lived in Raleigh. At least one time a week, I would wake up with sore muscles from the intense night before of climbing. It wasn' t always the same muscles either. Climbing highlights muscles you never thought you had. So I love the sore muscles. It is a physical reminder that your muscles are getting stronger. I never get sore muscles from running, so I never feel like I'm pushing my body -- maybe I'm not. Maybe I will start to get the sore muscles when I run up the bridge? Maybe I need to start running faster or longer.
7. Wine plus running - Occasionally (usually when I can't seem to drag myself out of bed in the morning for a run) I will run in the evening. I like it when I drink wine with dinner after running, because with just a tiny amount of wine, I can feel my body start to get warmer. And I get very relaxed. I like that feeling.
2. Pace - I could never seem to do better than a 12 minute mile when running for more than one mile. My most comfortable route is a 2-mile loop around our neighborhood. I did way better than this 12 minute pace in college, so I knew that I had it in me, it just didn't seem to be coming out. Then one day recently I decided that it was time for me to break through and run a 10-minute/mile pace for two miles. I concentrated really hard and stopped being lazy, and found that it wasn't any harder, I just had to concentrate really hard to keep up the pace. I do this in ultimate too, where I get really lazy and run really slow. I have to admit that this 10-minute pace also happened at the same time that we got some cool weather. Instead of running when it is in the mid to high 80s, I am running when it is in the low 80s (or like tonight when it was down to the high 70s!!! YAY FALL!). So maybe the extreme heat and humidity contribute to my slow running.
3. Appetite - Only recently have I started eating more. It is very strange actually. I eat more during each meal, but I am not hungry in between meals. Usually at work I start to get hungry around 4 or 5. By the time I get home, I am starving. But with this increased appetite, I seem to stay full in between meals. The evening hunger usually doesn't hit me now until about 7.
4. Solo please - When I first started running I thought that it would be nice to have a running partner. But I quickly realized that I like running by myself. A few times I quit running before my time was up, and I didn't feel bad. Once my knee got achy so I stopped. Another time I just didn't feel like running, so I stopped. And I didn't have to feel bad that I was letting someone down. I also enjoy being able to listen to my ipod and not feel pressured into having to talk to someone running alongside me. Some days I feel like I would improve faster if I had someone to run with so that we could challenge each other, but I found that once I started wearing my watch, I got very competitive with myself.
5. The bridge - Charleston doesn't have hills, but it has the bridge. I want to conquer the bridge by the end of October (I will consider it conquered once I can run the whole length of it (1 mile uphill, steep, 1.5 miles down the other side, a little less steep).
6. What running doesn't do for me - One thing that I miss about climbing is muscle soreness. I used to climb two times a week when I lived in Raleigh. At least one time a week, I would wake up with sore muscles from the intense night before of climbing. It wasn' t always the same muscles either. Climbing highlights muscles you never thought you had. So I love the sore muscles. It is a physical reminder that your muscles are getting stronger. I never get sore muscles from running, so I never feel like I'm pushing my body -- maybe I'm not. Maybe I will start to get the sore muscles when I run up the bridge? Maybe I need to start running faster or longer.
7. Wine plus running - Occasionally (usually when I can't seem to drag myself out of bed in the morning for a run) I will run in the evening. I like it when I drink wine with dinner after running, because with just a tiny amount of wine, I can feel my body start to get warmer. And I get very relaxed. I like that feeling.