Ups and Downs

I certainly am not turning this into a blog solely about running, but for now it's what I'm working on, so for now it's what I'm writing about.

I headed back to the gym on Tuesday and hit the treadmill, still riding the high from Saturday's run.  I quickly snapped out of it and realized it was a WAY different day and I was not feeling great.  I almost immediately developed a stitch in my side that I couldn't get rid of, I was swaying all over the place, banging into the sides and front of the treadmill, and breathing kinda hard early on.  I tried my hardest to just run through it all, but it became evident with every passing minute that I wasn't going to be able to run like I did on Saturday.  I seem to remember wanting desperately to stop after only 10 minutes but I kept mentally yelling at myself and pushed on until I'd been going for 19 minutes. I really wanted to hit that 20 minute mark but I simply couldn't go another minute and slowed to walking at 19.   I was hugely disappointed and started to think maybe Saturday was a fluke.

Today I again hit the treadmill and really just went with the mentality of doing what I could, trying to forget Tuesday's poor performance.  Last night when I was vacuuming, I rammed my 3rd toe on my left foot with the vacuum and kinda bent back the nail, making it bleed. So I wasn't sure how running on it would feel.  And on the way to the gym I discovered a hole in my sock on my right foot, right under a toe.  And I'm pretty sure I need new shoes. So my feet were not happy to start with.  (I have very fussy feet and have since I was a little girl. They're very sensitive. Or something.)

I did my usual 10 minute brisk walk and then upped the speed to 4.8mph and started to jog.  My first goal was to do a mile...about 12.5 minutes at that pace.   On Tuesday I had started out at 5mph and I wondered if just that little bit of extra pace did me in.  So I figured I'd start off nice and easy today.  My legs felt great, no burning or pain, expect just a little discomfort in my right foot, probably from my shoes.  The 12.5 minutes flew by and I kept going.  I finally stopped at 30 minutes because my mouth felt like the Sahara desert and I needed a drink.  So I took a 3 minute walk break, slurped down some water, then upped the speed to 5mph and went another 12 minutes.  The last couple minutes were challenging - I was breathing harder and had a side stitch - but I powered on, feeling again a great sense of accomplishment.  When I slowed to a brisk walk, I felt like I was floating and the side pain went away.  It was great. 

I think on Tuesday I should've started at the slower speed.  I really am not concerned with my speed right now.  I just want to be able to run continuously for a good period of time.  The speed will come.  For now, I'm working on my endurance.  So, lesson learned:  run slower for now.  Also, I ate a banana on my way to the gym on Tuesday and I think it contributed to the side pain.  Today I drank a glass of Odwalla Superfood (aka "pond scum") and didn't have the side pain until the very end.  So, lesson #2:  don't eat much before trying to run.

Becoming a runner is a learning process, as well as a physical process.  But progress is being made on both fronts.  And I can't tell you how cool it is.