I ran today. My 13.1 app told me to run today so I did. It told me when to run and when to walk and I very obediently listened. I like to follow pre-made programs. I don't like to make up my own. It's just what works for me. I need that regimen to follow and that goal of completing a program in order to keep doing it day after day. Most days, I just run because I have to...program said so. Today was no different but as I ran, I started doing some thinking about the running itself. Most days I am thinking of other things going on in my life and I'm not thinking about the running, except when I'm really short of breath and hot and wanting water....then I'm thinking of running. Specifically, how much I hate running at that moment and how I shouldn't have started this program and what was I thinking when I decided to train for a half marathon. But it was different thoughts today. Let me explain.
Today, as I ran, I was thinking how easy the run felt. Easy?? Really?? How did I ever get to a place where I would use the word "run" and "easy" in the same sentence? Today, the program was 52 minutes long. 52 minutes!! And it was easy? Yes. It actually was. And so I began to ponder how I got here. How did this all start? Why do I run?
It started a couple of years ago. There were some key people in my life who inspired me to start running. First was my mom. She had started running at her work place with some run clubs she joined there and was encouraging others to get active and start running too. I wasn't interested at first but then others came along to add to the fire of getting me going. I had a couple of coworkers, Pam and Sabrina, that I would see jogging through my neighborhood all the time as I passed with my car...sitting on my butt. I would wave and smile as I passed and then feel guilty that they were out exercising and I was doing nothing day after day....and I saw them ALL the time, constantly reminding me of what I wasn't doing. Then there was Kendra, another coworker, who was an avid runner. She was always running races and posting on Facebook about them. She had moved away from Texas but I still followed her blog and Facebook page and would read about race after race that she competed in. And then even her little girl started running races at around 3 years old, I think. She really seemed to love it and I wished I could do something like that but I hated to run. I was awful at it. I had no stamina at all for it. So then, last but not least, there was yet another co worker, Tiffany, who started running. She was not a regular runner and it was not easy for her but she started using a program called Couch to 5k and I heard her telling people about it. She got several other co workers to use the program too. That was the first time I had ever heard of it. So, after seeing her do it, I decided I would give it a try. After all, it's designed for people like me who have never run so it should be doable, right?
Well, I told my mom about the app for the program to do it on my iPhone and we decided to do the app together to help keep each other accountable. It wasn't going to be too hard for her since she had already been running at work so she was doing it more for my benefit to keep me going.
I will never forget the first day of the C25K program when I started it a couple years ago. It was around this same time of year and it was HOT outside. I don't like gyms so I preferred to run outside. The first day of the program only required 60 seconds of running and then 90 seconds of walking...alternating that for a total of 20 minutes. Easy, right? NOT! I literally thought I might die. The first 10 minutes of alternating running and walking was brutal but the last 10 minutes was just pure death. My face felt like it was on fire and it looked that way too. Soooo red! I couldn't breathe. I wondered why the air had no more oxygen because I wasn't getting any at all. I remember thinking I should've put aspirin in my pocket in case I started to have a heart attack. I was serious. I thought I should've told my family where I planned to run in case I didn't return so they'd know where to find my body. It was AWFUL. But I am a stickler when I set my mind to do something. I will not quit. So although I probably should've scaled back the running even lighter than the app said, I refused. I completed day one...painfully and without breath, but I did it. And then I completed day two and day three and week 2, week 3, etc. until I reached the end of the 8 weeks and ran my first 5k race. I never thought I would make it, but I did and I was proud.
So fast forward to now....a couple years later. I ran a few more 5k races but didn't keep up with the running quite as regular as I had hoped. I found it hard to stay motivated without a program to follow. I tried doing the same program again but it wasn't challenging anymore so it lost it's oomph. So recently I decided to step it up and start training for a half marathon. This was a daunting goal. The app required 6 days of training instead of 3 like the C25K app was. That was a lot more commitment. I wasn't sure I could do it. I have a really busy schedule with two teenage kids. Where would I find the time? And each day is nearly an hour long at a minimum instead of just 30 minutes like before. I almost talked myself out of it. It was too much. But I didn't. I went for it. I'm in the middle of week 7 now. It's a 14 week program so I am half way! I still can't imagine actually running a half marathon but I'm getting there.
So back to my thoughts I had today. Today's run was easy. I didn't feel winded. I had good breath. I was in such deep thought that when the program told me to walk, I walked but I didn't remember hearing it tell me to. And then I ran when it was time but again didn't notice when it told me to. It was just automatic. I heard the cue and obeyed, but was on auto pilot and not really thinking about it. My mind was elsewhere. Where was it? It was pondering why I enjoy running now and why I like to do it outside as opposed to a treadmill in the gym.
I enjoy running because of the sense of accomplishment it gives me when I am done with a run. I like setting a goal and reaching it. I like to feel the pain in my legs because I know I did something out of my comfort zone. I stretched myself further. I worked muscles that aren't used to being worked. It feels good. Running is the only exercise I've ever done that has made me notice a difference in my fitness level very quickly. The stamina changes are drastic changes for me and I can see muscle toning happening too. Running seems to be a full body workout for me unlike any other.
The reason I like to run outside? Well, right off the bat, I can give you 10 reasons. Bunnies. Yes, bunnies. 10 bunnies. That's how many I saw today during my run. I can't see 10 bunnies from a treadmill now, can I? I've been running at dusk lately and so the bunnies are everywhere. I counted them today and I saw 10. Who doesn't love a bunny? So, that's my first 10 reasons for running outside....to see 10 bunnies. What else? Well, I like the change of scenery as I run. I like destinations instead of running in place. It's more motivating to me to be able to know that when I get to the path by the woods...I'm almost done. Or the fire station is about half way. Those landmarks keep me going. On a treadmill, all I have is a clock. Boring. I also like that the terrain changes when running outside. I learn to run on hills and pavement and gravel and dirt. It's varied and I like that. Keeps it interesting. I like passing other runners and cyclists. It's like a private club. There is an instant connection to that person I'm passing because we know each other's pain and it feels good to be in that club and not in the car passing by watching them run. I guess you could say the gym has the club thing but for some reason I don't feel the camaraderie there like I do with the strangers I pass on the street.
It seems that wherever I run, if it's a regular place I run, I find a portion of the route that becomes my favorite part of the run. In my old neighborhood, it used to be a patch of trees that had a dirt path that ran through it and I always felt like I was getting to home base when I would reach that part of my run. For some reason, I could breathe again and it was the place I could get refreshed to complete my run. It was likely because it was a shady spot and it was nice break from the pavement for my joints. In my current neighborhood, my favorite spot is a stretch of paved path that borders the woods but is open on the other side to a large field where many soccer teams with young kids come to practice. This part of the path is actually quite sunny since it's open on the one side but there is a cool breeze that comes from the tree side of the path and it feels heavenly after a long run. This area is where I start running and then I come back this way at the end. It is on the way back that I really like this part of the path. It feels like an air conditioner is blowing on me the whole time I run this stretch. It's a very noticeable temperature change in that spot and it comes at just the right time when I am needing that extra boost to finish. Right after that section, I enter those woods and the path winds through the trees and it is very pretty through there. There are pretty bridges to cross on the trail and I often see owls in the trees. These are the reasons I like to run outside. Breezes, scenery, wildlife, solitude, varied terrain...these all stimulate and challenge me in a way that the treadmill just can't do. I'll even run in the rain as long as there is no lightning. I love to be outside.
So...that's what I was thinking while I ran today.
