« WiW: Week 5 | Main | WiW: Week 6 »
May 3, 2010
Better, but still not good
I think for the first time since this running thing started, I can see some improvement in how I feel when I run.
Don't get me wrong. I still find it...unpleasant. But where before it was a tie which pain was going to take me down first, my lungs or my legs, now the two alternate. In those very brief moments when I can overcome those pains, that stinkin' stitch that I thought I was done with comes back.
There are times, though, when I can forget that I'm huffing like a steam engine pushing through the Rockies. Times when my legs are tired but not feeling like marble columns, heavy as lead but way less flexible. Times when my aches recede and I can bring myself to just relax and enjoy the freedom, the peace, the solitude.
Except I don't. I don't feel free, I'd rather have some good adult conversation, and I'm bored with my own company. All I can think during those times is that I would rather be just about anywhere but here. I could be reading, sitting, comfortable. It's not like I'm seeing any actual results (read: weight loss. I'm still shallow enough not to care about the rest of the health benefits.)
And just how long am I going to do this, anyway? Once I hit my goal, do I get to stop? If I stop, I'm wasting all the pain and suffering I've put myself through the last 5 weeks. But if I keep going, I'm just continuing the discomfort cycle. If I were hitting my thumb with a hammer, I'd be stupid not to stop, right?
Right now, I'm just going to console myself knowing that things are getting better.
Posted by me at May 3, 2010 9:11 PM
Comments
I'm going to preface this by saying that I think you should stick out the rest of the Couch to 5k program. You set yourself that goal, and even if it sucks royally getting there, you at least will be able to take pride in the fact that you made it through.
But if you finish the program and you still hate running? Give it up. The only way to achieve results with any exercise program is if you stick with it, and you're most likely to stick with a program you enjoy (or at least don't actively hate.)
You may need to try a variety of different programs before you find your perfect fit, but the thought you've put into why you DON'T like running might point you in the right direction. If you don't like being alone, perhaps you (like me) might be happier attending fitness classes, where you can get a workout and a regular dose of adult companionship. If you get bored without the stimulus of entertainment, you might prefer to use a treadmill/elliptical/exercise bike/etc in front of a TV. If you get bored doing the same thing over and over (that's me, too), you could try Netflixing or downloading new exercise videos every week.
Whatever you do, don't stop exercising at the end of the C25K program. You can already feel that you're getting more fit... take that fitness and apply it to something that sounds fun.
Posted by: Summer at May 4, 2010 10:32 AM
Wow! I haven't heard from you in a long time! I can't believe you've stopped blogging (at least in the recent past.)
I *have* to keep doing something, since my body seems to have figured out that I'm over 35, and now all it wants to do is eat and swell. And I won't quit this program before I'm done. I made a goal, and I'm determined to stick to it. My big problem is figuring out where to go when that goal has been made, and there's nothing "forcing" me to run anymore. You're right, it will be hard to keep myself running if I hate it, but can't think of anything I'd like better.
Guess I need to get out there and try something new :)
Posted by: Becky 
at May 4, 2010 10:27 PM