I am pretty unhappy with myself for letting go of this journal the past few days. I was really on a streak: a running streak and a journal streak. Before I get to today’s run, here’s a recap of what you have missed:
Rest Days: Even though I hate the idea of taking a rest day from running, I know that they are important. While there have been some rest days that involved me only taking the dog for a walk, most of the days I am not running, I am using to do weighted/banded workouts at home. I can’t lie - I am definitely worried that rest days will slow down my running progress, but my legs feel a lot less worn down when I give them a rest here and there.
#RUNWITHMAUD: On Friday the 8th, I joined over 500k people in the Run With Maud dedication distance run. Hosted by Shaun King, the run was a dedication to Ahmaud Arbery who was wrongfully murdered by two white men in Georgia. While the 2.23 mile run was done by myself in my neighborhood, it was the first time I ran with a purpose; one beyond myself. I got up early and did my first morning run while it slightly rained from a very cloudy sky. I did have to walk a few times throughout the route, but I continued to keep Ahmaud in my mind and used the pain of his murder to fuel my legs. It’s pretty powerful what running with a reason can do for you both mentally and physically. I kept thinking to myself how I have yet to go on a run where I feel any sense of a threat, yet there are black men and women who feel threatened each and every day all while living their normal lives. It’s unjust, unfair, and downright wrong. I felt so proud to contribute to the cause and be a part of something that brought light to a very real issue our society is facing.
I am on Week 2 of the C25K app. After repeating some of Week 1 and going on my own runs without the app to build endurance, I decided to move forward with the 90 second run, 2 minute walk sessions. To be honest, they don’t feel that challenging since I was amping up my run times recently anyway. I have had some good runs since I last updated the journal and a few bad ones. Today’s run felt pretty good. I extended my route a little bit, trying out a new area of the neighborhood that I think I want to start exploring. I also felt pretty good throughout the whole run (minus my still too-big leggings that still keep falling down and the continuous pain I get in the heel of my right foot). I feel like I want to just run a 5k effortlessly, but I also know that you have to pace yourself and there is a reason so many people use this app to do so. So, I walk when it tells me to and run when it tells me to. I also learned a few things about my body and running in the past few weeks:
I need to eat something 30-60 minutes before a run, but not too much. When I did #RUNWITHMAUD, I went out with an empty stomach first thing in the morning and by the time I was walking back up the driveway, I wanted to pass out. I have also gone out for a run after a ‘cheat meal’ packed with unhealthy calories which make me feel like I was pulling a 500 ton truck behind me as I slowly sauntered down the neighborhood streets. A piece of fruit or homemade energy ball is the perfect way to fuel up for a 30 minute run.
I am filled with phlegm. Maybe it is the Spring season (filled with pollen and cut grass) or maybe my body produces mucus at an ungodly rate, but there has yet to be a run where my nose didn’t run and I didn’t build up a ton of phlegm. This situation is very gross for me and I am sure anyone I encounter. I am constantly wiping my nose and the other day (when coughing into my sleeve no longer worked), I actually stopped to spit on the ground. I know - I am disgusted by myself. Did some research on this and it turns out, it is what it is. I kid you not - there are full threads on reddit where people discuss the appropriate way to snot rocket while running and how to best hock a loogie without hitting other runners. Looks like I just need to take notes and deal with it.
Stretching and rolling need to be a daily event for me no matter how much I fight it. I don’t know why, but stretching and foam rolling make me want to roll my eyes and slither out of the room. I know they are good for you, but I just simply don’t want to. That’s it. I am 5 years old and I don’t wanna. Okay? With this being said, I need to. My body can feel tight after running and my legs almost beg me to care for them by the end of the night. I am still working on making it a routine, but I am pulling out the foam roller more often and making a point of adding stretching into my morning routine.
I am still a work in progress when it comes to fighting the social anxiety of running in front of other people. Whether it’s cars or people on a sunset walk, running around others still distracts me and riddles my body with anxiety. I know that deep down, these people don’t care about me running alongside their car for 5 seconds. The people I pass along the street are too busy taking in the Spring air or talking amongst themselves to give a shit about me and my heavy breathing as I pass them. I am not sure that knowing that will ever let the anxiety escape me fully, but I’m working on it.
A final note before I go: I got the New Balance running shoes I recently ordered in the mail today and I am hyppppeee! Not only are they pleasing to the eyes, but a first try-on and walk around the block proved they are super comfy. I am going to test them out on a run tomorrow and I pray they become go-to running shoes that magically push the pain out of my legs and feet and have me running a marathon in no time. A girl can dream, right?
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