holy. shitfire. leroy.
sven has been acting like a bastard. he does not want to shift into gear. once in gear, he frequently slips out. it’s like having a boyfriend with ED; if you can even get it in there in the first place, there’s no guarantee it’s going stay put long enough to be useful.
as such, i’ve been trying to avoid driving him for anything but necessary trips. social calls do not fall under this heading. so i was determined to make the public transit thing work for me yesterday when it was sauce-makin time. i didn’t really have any clear sense of how far it was from the nearest train station to my sauce-making destination, but i figured, i’d jog as far as i could and then walk the rest of the way. ever since the demon pushups, the gym has been a little scary. i’m really trying to avoid reinjuring myself, but i felt like i could use the workout.
now. it is true, that over the last few months i have become a whole bunch more fitnessy than ever before. that being said, i am still not actually fit. i still get winded far faster than i’d like, and am nowhere near at the strength level i’d like to ultimately achieve. and, i am an especially bad runner. i failed freshman PE because i was unable to manage to complete one circuit of the track (that’s a whopping 1/4 mile folks!) at even a slow jog. what a wuss.
it does turn out, a few things are in my favor now:
- asthma medication! breathing; i’m for it.
- knee braces! all my joints hate me, but most specially these. probably cause i have whacked them a few times with skilifts.
- industrial strength sports bra! cause nothing slows you down quite like 2 black eyes…
- proper running shoes! no, keds will not work just as well, thanks.
- 5 hours of energy! yeah, seriously. and i used them all.
my expectations were pretty low when i got off the train. i’d brought my braces, my iPod, and my inhaler for the purpose. i stretched and bounced and tried to remember to pace myself. off i went.
after about 10 minutes of an admittedly slowish, but consistent lope, i was expecting to start to feel that sense of desperation that usually overtakes me at just about a mile. oddly, apart from some twinging in my hip flexors, i felt fine. i was pleasantly surprised and just kept trucking.
and just kept trucking.
the twinging was on the move too; what was at first only left leg, soon moved to the right. thigh pain made an apprearance, as did a few complaints from my knees. all of this, though slightly annoying, was completely managable, and the profound exhaustion and pain that usually overtakes me was nowhere in evidence. at over halfway through the route with no significant distress i was feeling pretty good about myself, but convinced it wouldn’t last.
i did, i will admit, stop once for about 30 seconds to snarf on some blackberries growing by the side of the road. they were tart and firm. many more not quite ripe yet. do think a pie might be in order…
mmm. pie.
where was i? oh, yeah, jogging. it was like, every time there was an intersection ahead i’d think “well, even if i just make it up to there, that’s still way further than i thought i was going to be able to get running. i was sure i’d have walked at least part of the way by now…” but then, i’d arrive, check myself, realize i felt pretty much fine, and just keep running.
after rounding one particular corner, i knew i was going to make it all the way to where i was going without stopping. and i knew without a doubt, that it was the longest run i had ever taken at once in my entire life.i didn’t know how far it was exactly, lacking a pedometer, but i knew it was definitely the winner.
i got to my destination and then i lay on the floor panting and perspiring. for a long time. i was soaked to the skin (i am unaccustomed to sweating that much, it was gro-ess) but incredibly proud of myself for going the entire distance on the run. i alerted my sauce-making partner that i needed to hear deep and profound admiration of my feat, whether or not it was genuine being totally irrelevant.
and then came the best part; i get runners high yo.i know this about myself, but actually mustering the energy to run has the remarkable tendency to create amnesia. i forget how good running makes me feel. i was giggly, i was giddy, i was silly, and happy, and chipper, and stuff. 24 hours earlier i had been the opposite of all those things, and it was a nice change for everyone. i asked to make sure.
when i mapped my route today it came out to 3.5 miles. which is about 2 miles more than i have ever done in one shot before. i’m sore, but not miserable. usually after i run i feel like i have been beat with sticks. i was totally bone tired last night, but i slept better than i almost ever do. seems i might be a little more fitter than i thought.
now where’d i leave my nikes….
