The story with running

The weekend is approaching (yay!), and for some reason I’m seriously stumped what to do with my time when it gets here. Usually I have lists a mile long of things I “need” to do, but I must have had an incredibly productive week or two because the list this weekend is pretty tiny… which means I can actually do some fun things.

I think the first thing I’ll do is look for new running shoes. I’ve never actually had a pair of shoes designed specifically for running, but I think it’s time to look into it. Running is one of those things I’ve always wanted to do, but something that I really lack the talent/body type to be good at. It’s a huge challenge for me, but right now, I want to challenge my body. If I want to see change, I need to push myself. I walked/ran for a half hour at the gym last week (basically doing day 1, week 1 of the C25k program), and I did better than I expected. The treadmills at the office gym seem nicer, more stable and easier on the legs than the other treadmills I’ve used before. I’m sure that contributed to my being able to get through the workout without feeling like death and also to the fact that I was able to turn up the speed a little.

However, the sneakers I was wearing at the time proved to be a problem almost immediately. After just a 5 minute walking warmup and one or two 60 second running intervals, my shins hurt. At that point I realized that the laces on my shoes weren’t tied tight enough, so I paused to fix that issue and it fixed things for the most part. But I just feel like these sneakers, as well as every other pair of sneakers I’ve tried to run in hold me back and like I’ve got lead weights on my feet. I have in mind the idea to try to track down a sleaker pair of sneakers (unintentional rhyme) and will increase my budget a little, since I know that quality running shoes cost a good amount.

If I do find some good ones and I start feeling more comfortable with running, I’d love to give the C25k another shot. I did it once a few years ago and I got through to the 20 minutes of straight running after much, much effort. The only problem was, I was going at a snail’s pace. And when I say that, I’m not exaggerating at all. I’ve told people the speed and they’re shocked that you can even run at that slow of a pace on the treadmill without having to walk. I was clearly doing something wrong. Trying again would be really good for me. Someday, it might even be fun to sign up for a 5k. I’ve certainly never run any races before, but after reading blog after blog about running and racing, it’s something that’s seeped into my brain.

I’m sure I’ll do more this weekend than just shoe shopping, but that’s all I’ve got for now. Maybe I’ll try to finish one of the 5 or 6 books I’ve started this year but never finished.

Happy Thursday,
~L

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