Well, I took a completely unecessary 10 DAYS off from running. I am always full of excuses. I ran on May 28, and then it was the weekend so clearly I did not want to run. I planned to run with my dad on Monday, but then silly me, I forgot it was Monday because it was Memorial Day and felt like the weekend. Then, my friend Eric was in town, so we didn’t run on Tuesday either (but we ate crabs, which were DELICIOUS). Then, my dad went away for work on Wednesday until Sunday.
So you can see my excuses building haha. I don’t like working out alone, so I just didn’t run while my dad was away. I told Collin (my boyfriend) last night that he will need to keep me focused on running regularly when I move to Texas with him.
My dad was just getting better from a cold, and it had been 7 days since his last run. We decided to keep it short, doing a route around my parents neighborhood. The distance was almost a mile out, and then obviously the same distance back. Since Dad was still semi-sick and we had been off the running bandwagon, I said that if we wanted to stop short and walk the rest of the way home, we could.
We warmed up by walking and then took off down hill at the end of my parents street. I love that first downhill stretch. Unfortunately, you probably know what that means…..we then have to go up a hill. It’s amazing how much hillier roads seem when you are running as opposed to driving. By the time we turned onto our flat stretch, about .4 in, I could feel how heavy my legs were. Not running for 10 days made me feel like my bones and muscles had been replaced with lead.
We trudged on and came to our second hill. At this point, my dad was ahead of me, but he was able to turn around and yell “Did I ever tell you I hate hills?”
Pretty comical considering the roads surrounding my parents’ house are pretty hilly and we run them, grudgingly, all the time. I hate hills too.
My dad is pretty much a champ and made it back up the hill that we started on. I pretty much always stop at the bottom of the hill.
Question for anyone reading…..I have a tendency to throw up towards the end of my runs. I think it only happens when I try to take the hill at the end. If I finish on the flat part, I feel fine, but as soon as I try to trudge up the hill at a run (ok, slowwww jog), I feel the urge to throw up. I don’t stop running until I start to dry heave. Occasionally I actually throw up, but usually it’s just dry heaving. Any ideas as to why?
I have decided that, barring leg injuries, bad knees, etc. or doctors orders, anyone who says they can’t run is just lazy or not confident. If my dad and I can do it, you can do it. I promise. Like I said, barring injuries and other things like that. When I started this, I literally couldn’t run for 3 minutes. When we got to that part of Couch to 5k (great program, do it!!), I was terrified. When we got up to running in 5 minute increments, with only short spurts of walking, I could hardly do it. But we pushed through, and now I can run for at least 40 minutes. I get bored before I get too tired to stop. Am I a marathoner? Not quite yet. I would like to be able to do a half marathon at some point though. And my dad and I are doing our next 5k on Father’s Day.
So let me be your inspiration. I am not fast. I am not going to win any prizes. But I am doing something I never thought I would be able to do.
