The Starting Point
Today, I began my attempt at running. I dislike running. Immensely. But I started because of a Facebook post that James R. had put up about running. This guy is crazy fit — he does things like Ironman and enjoys it. There was just something about this post. Something about how most people only run until they feel like dying, and they don’t continue until they get to the point where running feels like living.
That resonated with me for some reason. I can’t really explain why.
I kept thinking about running since I saw that status update.
My manager runs marathons. A couple of my friends run marathons. I’ve seen pictures that people put up on Facebook, holding medals of honor showing that they’ve finished marathons.
I’ll be clear about this: I don’t care about running marathons in the least. But I had a health scare that apparently had a lot to do with the crappy food I was eating. Last year, I would do the 7-minute workout with my friend Frances almost every day, and I think I was in my best physical health at that point, since I was walking 2.5 miles to work and 2.5 miles back on weekdays. She’s since left the company, and no one has been willing to continue the tradition. So…that said, I think a lot of it has to do with the eventual lack of physical activity, too.
On top of that, I had to wonder: was it the lack of physical activity? Was it the crappy food I was eating? Would it really change my mood? Would these alterations in my lifestyle really help me feel healthier, more energetic, more stable?
When I saw James’s status, I kept thinking of running. And when I brought it up while eating desserts on Wednesday with my coworkers, Julie tells me about Couch to 5k when I mention how I keep thinking of those word. Curious, I looked at the site she sent me, saw the curriculum, and thought, “Huh, this really doesn’t look half bad.”
Combine that with the fact that 24 Hour Fitness is only $30 a month and my hatred of running in the city, I went out and bought a pair of running shoes.
My first pair of Nikes ever.
Day 1
I started running today during my lunch break. Got the Zombies! Run! app going, got Spotify going, and…I had no idea how to use a treadmill, as usual. I pressed some buttons and figured, eh, let’s just get going.
The shoes I’d picked up weren’t bad! I walked in them in the morning to break them in, and they were super comfortable. I never had a pair of proper running shoes before, and it really does make a difference when you have the right pair of shoes. I guess this is common knowledge for most people, though…
Today’s schedule included 90 seconds of walking, then 60 seconds of jogging, rinse and repeat. Absolutely doable. I kept my walking to 3.0mph and the jogging to 4.9mph, on average. I was able to keep moving for 30 minutes, alternating between walking and jogging.
I’ll call day 1 a success in terms of my jogging attempts.
Oh, and I also managed to avoid eating a donut. But I can tell that my hunger is increasing, so I need to figure out how to curb that. All I want to do is eat grilled cheese and fries…hm. Well, we’ll see how that goes. I’m not in this for losing weight, but for seeing if my mood will improve.
Hypothesis 1: If I run, but still eat badly, I will still feel like crap.
Hypothesis 2: If I eat well, but forget about running, I will still feel like crap.
Hypothesis 3: If I run and eat well, I’ll feel better.
I think I’ve already knocked out hypothesis 2, as I was eating relatively well, but I was still having intense mood swings. I don’t really want to test out hypothesis 1 too much, but I also don’t want to deprive myself. Just gotta control myself a bit.
According to the site, tomorrow’s a resting day. We’ll see how I fare then.
