Day 2: Yep, running still sucks...

Ugh. I just finished my second night of running. And, surprise, it still sucked. I have learned a great lesson though: don't eat brownies before running.

haha... that probably works for most foods though. I ate brownies about 45 minutes before I ran. And, they thought about making a reappearance. But, fortunately, they did not. Phew! **wipes brow** That certainly would not have made me want to run again tomorrow... or, you know, ever again.

So, now I know that I shouldn't eat soon before running. Which, looking back, I should've known not to do. I didn't think it would be a big deal since I didn't eat a whole lot of the brownies... but I had eaten dinner about 45 minutes before that. So, now I won't eat within an hour or so of running. :)

Other than that, the run went pretty well. I still had the burning lungs and the profuse sweating, but I didn't notice them so much since the partially digested brownie was speaking to me the loudest. hahaha And, I was able to run longer this time. Not a whole lot, but I've got to start somewhere, right?!

Jack (my Jack Russell/Poodle mix) did well again tonight but he wasn't quite as enthusiastic as he was last night. He's already passed out on his bed. :) At least we're both getting our exercise.

Now, I'm off to hit the showers. Until tomorrow... goodnight!

To Run or Not To Run...

When I was a little girl, I loved to run. And I was fast. I spent recess in elementary school running or playing on the jungle gym. I could beat people in races. It was one of the few athletic things I was good at. And I actually thought it was fun.

However, at some point between elementary school and now, I lost it. I now hate to run. And, I'm not good at it. And I am not fast at all. In fact, I am incredibly slow. However, there is one thing that hasn't changed for me about running. I still feel amazing after I run. Well, after the burning in my lungs stops, that is. ;)

So, I have decided to start running again. This past weekend Philip and I went shopping for a new pair of running shoes. It took forever because I have unusually wide feet for a woman. They don't really look wide (they look pretty dainty), but when it comes to shoes, it seems like my feet are enormous.

It's really hard to find women's shoes in wide sizes. And the ones I could find were not very comfortable. I found one pair of Asics that I really liked, but there was no way I was spending $150 on a pair of running shoes. We went to a few other stores and I finally found a pair of Saucony running shoes that fit really well and were in my price range (they were about $50).

And, I also picked up some pepper spray while we were at the mall because I don't like to run unprotected. This pepper spray is really bad@ss. It has regular pepper spray as well as military grade tear gas and UV dye (so the attacker can be identified later... as if you couldn't tell by the seriously burned face!) in it. I'm pretty happy with it because it's a weapon I feel confident wielding without fear of it being used against me. I have it gripped tightly in my hand with the safety off as I run so that I can use it in a moment's notice.

So, since I was prepared, I went for my first run tonight. It sucked. I just went for a few laps around the apartment complex. My lungs burned, I was sweating profusely, and I seriously hated just about every second of it (I took Jack with me and he was having a great time, so that made me a little happier about it). However, despite my hatred of the activity, I still find myself sitting here, about two hours later, feeling absolutely wonderful.

My muscles feel loose. My lungs feel great (I've been having a few asthma problems again lately, but I feel great tonight). I have tons of energy. And, I'm sure I'll sleep great tonight.

I will probably be sore tomorrow, but it will be worth it. I will start to see a notice in my shape immediately. Running works every part of my body. It tightens the muscles in not only my legs and butt, but also my back, my abs, and my arms.

So, even though I really don't like running, there are entirely too many positives that come out of doing it. And, after a few weeks, I will come to not hate it so much... I will not say "like" it, because that would be a lie. haha Maybe someday it will be an activity that I can say I actually enjoy. Maybe. Until then, I'm going to keep doing it so I can reap the benefits of the vile sport.