YES! I Did NOT Do It!!

 

 I drove down to the trail and did my first solo walk today.  Was aiming for 1.5 miles and just hoped I could do it without much discomfort.  I had IT band issues for the first 10 minutes but those settled down and everything went smoothly from there. 

When I reached ¾ mile, I felt really good and decided to keep walking to the 1 mile mark before turning around.   I kept waiting for those first real twinges of regret to hit, letting me know that I was overdoing it.  Never happened.  Felt great the whole time.  In fact, because I am currently so out of shape, that walking was enough to give me an endorphin high.  Felt every bit as good as the times I got them from running.  I loved it!

What turned out to be the most difficult part of the walk? Convincing myself NOT to break into a slow run.*   It was like I had a little devil on one shoulder telling me “Do it! You know it will make you feel good! Just run to that first telephone pole”  and a bigger angel on the other shoulder saying “Don’t be a stupid bitch! You don’t want to risk injury!”  THIS TIME, the angel won out.  My 6 week post-op appointment is in 4 days.  The doctor will let me know then if it is ok for me to start running or if it would be better for me to hold off for a few more weeks.  I WILL listen to him. 

Once I am allowed to run, I will restart the Couch to 5K program. (C25K) I did this 2 years ago.  I had really positive results. I lost 40 pounds. I had so much more energy and self-confidence.  It was wonderful!  Then I ended up having my first surgery due to the ovarian cysts (when they found out about the endo). But even after that, I was able to continue with the running, even if it did slow me down a bit. Then a few months later I injured my foot due to improperly training for my first half marathon AND I used shoes that were “too new”.  I ended up with a stress fracture. Between that and deciding to go to school full time, my running stopped and the weight slowly crept back on.  As of now, I have gained back 35 of the 40 pounds I’d lost. Bringing me back up to 236pounds.  (Yep, made me more than a bit nauseous typing that out for God and everybody to read. Because you know, God had no clue what my weight was before that)  

So, does this mean the primary reason I want to start running again is to lose weight?  Surprisingly, no it’s not. I want to run again because I LOVE it. I love how it makes me feel. I love the sense of accomplishment when each new goal is met. I love the races my husband and I run together. I love that I discovered that my third child is an excellent running partner, whether on paved or dirt trails. She is FEARLESS!  I ESPECIALLY love the friends I have made because of running.  

The weight loss just happens to be a wonderful side effect. 

IF I get the all clear from the doc on Thursday, then I will start Day 1 Week 1 of C25K on Friday morning.  This will consist of a 5 minute brisk walk for warming up, then stretching.  Then alternating 60 seconds of slow running* and 90 seconds of walking, for a total of 20 minutes. Then a 5 minute cool down and stretching.  The husband is convinced that it will be much easier for me this time than it was the first time I did this.  I was SO SORE after each run.  But I am not nearly as sure as he is. I am guessing the whole surgery thing will play a significant role in how I preform.  Regardless, I am anxious to get started.

* “slow running”…this would be called “jogging” for most of you. But I am not ALLOWED to use the word jog or I will get my ass kicked by more than one of my marathon running friends.  And since I admire them a great deal and due to the fact that they could EASILY catch me if I took off “running”, I will defer to them.
You will also catch me using the phrase “waddle.”  This is not me being self-effacing. I use it because one of my running icons, John, the Penguin, Bingham, uses this. And he also assures me that I am a real runner.  I choose to believe him.