The Run

For anyone who knows me, you know I must run.  Since picking up where I left off in my Master's program, I have found it a challenge to have time to do anything, let alone go for a run.  Now that I am taking only one (and the final) course, I am once again hitting the pavement.  

My innate drive to overdo takes over in most aspects of my life.  Whether it is eating a bag of cinnamon bears or running, I do things to the max.  Some might say this is a fortunate quality to have, and it may be at times, but it can also be somewhat of a curse.  As I have taken up running again, I applied the same gusto to it as I do to other things, resulting in very sore ankles and a previous hip flexor injury ominously threatening once again.  I decided it was okay to try walking.  I see other people out walking and they seem to feel satisfied with themselves.  I somehow feel less of a person if I am walking.  Mind you, I must be out the door at 6:30 am if I want to have sufficient time to exercise, so I didn't want to waste it simply walking.  I did try walking for a few days and each time returned home without breaking a sweat.  I walked for about 45 minutes and covered about 3.40 miles.  Today however, I decided to run three minutes and walk one.  The results were tremendous!  I was able to keep a 12:30 pace (yes, I know that is extremely slow compared to what you run) and feel like I did not waste my morning.  I covered about 4.5 miles today and I felt like I could have gone even farther.  Now that I think about it, that is how I trained for the half marathon I did ages ago. I did a walk run until I had built up the endurance to run the full distance. It’s not that I can't run 5 miles because I am out of breath.  My lungs aren't the issue.  My problem is my legs (and apparently my ankles) are not strong enough to get me there.  

So I guess I am starting from scratch.  I have come to terms with this.   I just don't want to jeopardize a lifetime of running by permanently injuring myself because I want it all now.   I have to take it slow and work for it, just as I do everything else in life.  The only way to become a good runner, is to work hard. As long as I have a good book in my ear and sweat on my brow, I will get there and have a good time doing it.