I haven't given up running. I'm still at it. I don't talk about it much in the blog because how much whining can you reasonably do and still expect sympathy, right? :) I have been dealing with some set backs, doing research, fixing one problem and then before I have a minute to enjoy it, the next one comes along. I think I get it now. Running is a good way to distract you from the other problems of life ;)
I'm finally getting to the point where I'm running the same distance as the race I'm training for. A little bit more in fact. True, I'm so beat by the end of the run that I have to lift my legs into the car, but I'm covering the distance. It also made me question whether or not I should be driving a manual transmission home, even though its a small distance, with legs so tired. I guess unless someone hires a chauffer for me that I'll just have to tough it out.
Over the weekend I stopped at a Sporting Goods store to see if I could find shoes that might be better for running. My ankles, feet and calfs hurt like crazy for the first mile or so until they finally go numb. I think part of this is that at my age I'm starting to get a bit of arthritis in my bones and the jarring just pisses it off. The other part is that I land on my heels (as is normal) when I run so it takes the brunt of the punishment. So while looking at some pretty pricey shoes that really did feel comfy, I saw these things called heel cups that cushion the impact of landing on your heels. The ones I liked were "gels" and were pretty slim. I decided to try those before going in for the expensive shoes and paid $8.
I've also been fooling with my diet. Trying different types of carbs in different amounts with different waiting times after meals. One of my coworkers had told me she will eat pancakes with syrup before her 8 mile runs and how she seemed to get really good energy from it. So ...... I had some pancakes yesterday an hour before my run. Besides the fact that they are yummy I must say that they gave me some really good energy and with my heels protected with the heel cups it was almost an enjoyable run!
So where is the joy in running? Well, I will begrudgingly admit that the runners high after the run is pretty sweet no matter how much I have to talk myself into going running in the first place. The other joy that I stumbled upon this morning was that for the first time in years I was able to suck my gut completely in! No crazy diets or insane amounts of sit ups to get it. Just some consistent running that I'm starting to not hate quite so much! :)
