So, I did it!
I joined a running group AND signed up for a 1/2 Marathon in December! I have been running with the running group on saturday mornings for a month now....
yes, I have gotten up at 5:00 every Saturday for the last five weeks and went running! Hubby thinks I am an alien being who is just a substitute for his adorable, sleepy, grumpy in the morning wifie.
I must say, I am actually addicted to running now and love chatting with new friends while I am out on those longer runs (only up to four miles, but hey - race day isn't until DECEMBER!). I love the running group so far and have learned a lot of new things about the sport. The typical Saturday morning routine is:
- arrive at 5:30 and stretch for 15 minutes with the instructor while people are trying to pry their eyes open. My trick is to just use the toothpicks to keep them open - thank you Tom & Jerry, you did come in handy! (although the coffee does help! :)
- Walk / Run for the determined amount of time per your own customized training schedule (some people are just crazy and are doing the whole marathon, and everyone is at different skill levels). The running group uses the Galloway Method, which is walk 3 minutes, then run 2, repeat for duration of run. Every week we switch the minutes walking / running until we are running 4 minutes, walking 1 for recovery. It's great, I always thought you had to RUN, no wonder I always got frustrated. It's nice to be able to enjoy it and breathe!
- Finish at local Trader Joe's who provides us with bananas and water.
- Cool down walk back to the Sports Club.
- Stretching and more stretching while a local fitness professional gives a lecture and hands out tons of samples! Yay! Love this part! We have listened to a Kinesiologist, Physical Therapist and Shoe Store Owner Guy. Who knew there was so much to running?!
- Home just in time for little ones to wake up and start the weekend!
I went and bought new shoes last week, got a gait analysis done and Shoe Store Owner Guy recommended totally different shoes than I have been running in.......
I now have blisters on the backs of my heels and muscles hurt from running that haven't hurt before. I guess it's my first dissappointment with this new sport and I am irritated. Now I need to drive all the way across town and complain about how my fancy shoes that the gait machine told me would be perfect for me don't like me. Shoes that cost that much moola shouldn't eat your feet for lunch. Just sayin'.
I really don't want to lose my momentum and let this get me down. After all, this is what I am doing for ME AND ONLY ME. This busy life of mine can be exhausting and frustrating and running has become my outlet. So, rather than be grumpy, I guess I should drive back to the shoe store and try new shoes tonight so that by our run on Saturday I am looking forward to the run and can pry myself out of my comfy bed and into friendly, cushy, spiffy new shoes!
So, to end on a positive note - I will focus on the fact that I have logged 30 MILES this month and I'm just getting started! I have noticed my shape changing and tightening and have lost several pounds, so what if I have a couple of blisters. They'll heal, and I'll run!
