So I start running today (Tuesday, April 03) and I’m trying to come up with my blog topic. Right off the bat I realize what the problem is. I’m starting off the run. I’m not yet in the lounge chair portion of my run yet. If you have no clue as to what I am referring then you may want to see my first post of this feature (Lounge Chair Jogging and Water Conservation). Anyway, not to worry; a few yards further and nature takes its course. The body makes it’s complaints and I get to work.
The problem today, however is that my legs are terribly sore. It’s the lower portion too… the part that is famous for developing “shin splints“. And believe you me… you don’t want that! I’ve had that particular problem before and it is very painful indeed. So I decided the best alternative was to just take it easy. Sweet and simple. Slow down the pace.
Guess what? It worked! Very well, in fact. It worked so well that the “second” half of my run came well before the actual halfway point (in distance) of my route. My breathing became easier, my legs felt better and everything was good with the world. So good that I felt as if I could’ve added on a bit to the route today. I resisted the temptation though because I did not want to injure myself. I will continue on my current planned course with 2.5 miles this week and if all goes well, then I might add a half mile or even a whole mile next week. We’ll see.
So just how slow was this pace you ask? It was pretty slow at times. At the slowest I probably could have speed walked at the same pace. Is that a bad thing? I don’t think so. Why? Because what was I doing? I was moving my 205 lbs butt from point A to point B; that’s what I was doing. I wasn’t sitting at my computer chair clicking a mouse and munching on Cheetos (Produced by Frito-Lay who happens to be owned by PepsiCo: Public, NYSE PEP). Anyway, movement is good. I highly suggest it if any of you are thinking of trying it out.
Well, it seems as a reward for my newfound energy in the slower pace I ran into an old friend. His name you ask. Why it was good ole George Washington. Yep! On the second half of my run a nice crisp one dollar bill just lying on the side of the road was smiling up at me. Sure one dollar isn’t much in todays world, but it’s more than not. And a dollar found is a dollar earned… or something like that. Plus it’s always fun to find money.
BTW: In the last entry I alluded to the fact that I may have an “actual” online runner’s log that would have a calendar of the days that I ran and the distance. Well I do now! That was quick and easy all thanks to Google Calendar. Just click on the Runner’s Log link at the top of the page to check it out.