Running

Today I ran 4.01 miles

Nearly two and a half years ago, I started running. Again.

The first time I started running was in April of 2006. I managed to keep it up until the end of June 2012; logging just shy of 4000 miles in that time.

While never injuring myself significantly during that time, I did ultimately do something to my left knee that eventually prevented me from continuing my running lifestyle. I tried all of the home remedies and even attempted seeking out medical assistance (which was a waste. Nothing like being told that there’s nothing wrong . . . other than the excruciating pain and the fact I can’t do the things I used to pain free . . .)

I missed running and looked back at how much healthier I was when I was running, I finally convinced myself to start up again. Shoes were purchased, and yes, I created a new Excel spreadsheet to track my mileage.

It was hard in the beginning. Honestly, it’s still hard. Age is something you can’t fight.

By the latter part of 2018, I was feeling GREAT. So I gave myself some goals for 2019:

  • Run at least 1 mile every day
  • Meet my daily 10,000 step goal (thank you Fitbit!)
  • Run 1,000 miles in 2018

January went SMASHING! I logged 88+ miles and was feeling great.

And then came February. My running goal was shot by the second day of the month (that’s a story for another time . . .) and then the Seattle area got hit with a massive snowstorm. Oh, and let’s not forget the fact that I was in the process of moving, quitting my job, and then in the middle of all of this, the decision was made to leave Washington.

I managed 15 miles in February.

March was even worse. Less than 8.5 miles.

After many false starts and stops, August and September have been great. I’m nowhere near my goal of 1,000 miles for the year (let’s be honest, even at my peak running life, I managed 1,000 miles once.)

Ever since moving, almost every single run as been inside. I tell people it was because I wasn’t used to the elevation and that I’m still afraid of my knee causing me issues far away from home. But if I’m being completely honest, it’s a comfort and fear thing, both of which I don’t quite understand.

I’m afraid to run outside because I’m not comfortable. It seems silly because when I originally was running, nothing stopped me from doing it outside, whereas now it’s just as difficult for me to go outside instead. Maybe it’s because I don’t have routes to run yet, and it is quite a bit warmer, even when the temperature is cooler, it just feels warmer.

I guess the point of this is to say I ran today. I’m back up to 50 minutes, non-stop, albeit at a much slower pace than I would like. But I’m doing it. I don’t hurt like I used to. Now I think my limitation is boredom. It’s boring to run inside. I’m about 400 miles off my original pace (time and number of runs,) but there’s also 11 years of age there too.

Oh, and I’m going to sign up for another race today – it’s in December, and while it’s a 5k, I want to see how fast I can do this. It’ll be cold so heat won’t be an issue this time around.

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