Running...

[auntiemeesh]

...sucks. Seriously. But in a good way, I suppose.

I didn't make it to the gym at all this week, so it being reasonably warm and dry out, I decided to get off my duff and go for a run in the park. This is the first time I've tried this, and it was only partially successful for a variety of reasons. A) This is the East End of Pittsburgh, and there are no flat surfaces of more than a block's duration, anywhere, as far as I can tell. Which means running uphill, which I've never attempted before. Yeah, that didn't go so well. B) While it's nearly fifty degrees (F) out, which is very warm for December, it's still cold enough that my throat hurt after about five minutes. C) I still haven't learned to pace myself - I want to run, not jog, but my body isn't physically capable of that for more than a block or so, and then I'm all tired out. When I'm on a treadmill or running with someone else, it's easier to maintain the proper pace, but out on the streets, on my own, I went too fast and got all tired out and then hit steep hills and every breath hurt and then my knee kicked in and started bitching and then... *whines pathetically* So I ended up walking most of the uphill stretches, just running on the flats and downhill parts.

But. It felt good to just move my body a little, even if it was a relatively short and funky run. And hey, it allows me to justify at least one or two of the countless cookies, etc. I'll certainly be eating for the rest of the day. *grins*

Comments

[piplover.livejournal.com]

Good for you for running! Just a word of caution, though. Running on streets will tear your knee up like you wouldn't believe, because there's no cushion whatsoever.

Something that may help you when you have trouble breathing. llinos suggested this to me, and it works wonderfully. If you concentrate on breathing out rather than breathing in, it will help you keep your rhythm easier. I have asthma and struggled to breath, especially when it's cold, but this really helped.

[auntiemeesh.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the tips. The breathing thing only seems to be a problem when the air is cold - feels like it's shredding my throat, so I try to run indoors on the treadmill usually, which doesn't give me any problems at all, but on occasions like this, when that isn't an option, I'll try to concentrate on breathing out.

As for running on sidewalk - yeah, hurts like a bitch if I do it with any sort of regularity. Luckily, most (well, some) of this run was on dirt/pebbled paths, which provide more cushioning. Still, another reason why I vastly prefer the track or a treadmill when I have the choice.

[anadart.livejournal.com]

Good for you. I didn't make it to the gym either, so I'm taking my sons for a jaunt around the neighborhood. Any exercise is better than none.

[auntiemeesh.livejournal.com]

That's what I kept telling myself today as I gave up and walked on the uphill portions of the jog. Better walking than sitting on the couch.

[lyda-pearl.livejournal.com]

Any thing more strenuous than sleeping counts as exercise for me these days so I remain, as always, impressed that you run. We did walk the furry ones for about 30 minutes yesterday on a flat road but better than nothing right? New Years is gonna be a new start for me.

[ani-no-mouse.livejournal.com]

Yay! You go girl!!!! Despite your assessment, it sounds like a quite successful outing to me. I'm proud that you went out all by yourself and ran, walked, whatever.

BTW, Gelsomina is doing her best to say hi. But ever since she tore the L off my keyboard, I try hard to keep her off the laptop. Heh, heh, I put a piece of newspaper down beside the laptop and she seems to have accepted that as a sleeping spot even though I am not currently trying to read it!