Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Here goes...
So I've taken up a new hobby. It's something I never thought I could do. Something, in fact, that I adamantly stated I could not do, and had no interest whatsoever in doing. I've started running. That's right. Running.
I've got a little bit of a head start because I've been going to the gym fairly regularly since last autumn. I was doing a lot more strength-training than cardio at the time, and I have gotten back to the strength-training (after slacking off for chunks of time since Christmas). As for cardio, I'd do a bit of jogging on the treadmill now and then and I found that I was really enjoying it, but I still thought I couldn't really run. Although I was starting to wonder if it was something I could do....
So last week, I started running outside for the first time ever (well - if you don't count that little bit of running that all kids tend to do, or the Participaction Program that we were all forced to do through elementary school - don't even get me started on that topic - that's a whole other post!) Let me tell you, it was quite a shock when I moved from the treadmill to outside. For starters, ashphalt doesn't have the spring that a treadmill has, which makes the ol' gams feel pretty tired pretty quickly in comparison. And - on a treadmill , you can control and monitor your pace easily - and it seems like you're doing a decent clip. But outdoors what may feel like a decent effort also feels REALLY slow.
You might think running is simple: put one foot in front of the other and go. But a lot of though has been put into running and there are a ton of websites devoted to proper training, form and technique. According to most of the training schedules out there, I'm about 6 weeks into a running rogram (thanks to all the time at the gym earlier this year). The important thing is to not push myself too fast. Recovery is just as important as running. Oh, and good running shoes are important. (I highly recommend getting a proper fit at The Running Room, where they analyze your foot. I just upgraded to a new pair with a proper fit and it makes a world of difference.
So at the momemt I'm running 5 minutes, then walking one minute (times 4). The other day I ran Harbour Passage (from the stairs by the clock/sculpture to the bottom of the stairs at the end of the passage and back) in 24:48. I've started to keep a running log at home but I'd like to keep track of things in this journal as well. By keeping a journal I can watch my progress, and I hope it'll help to motivate me on the bad days.
Posted by Dre at 8:05 AM
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