Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Jogging

I haven't exercised at all since last August. But my leg problem is clearing up, and I have inserts in my shoes to deal with the foot pain. Once I got to the point that I could walk around the house without wincing, I figured I should get walking outside, with a little speed and effort invested. So I started "jogging" again on May 27. I've been a good girl. I've only skipped days when I was occupied at church all morning or traveling to/from vacation.

I hate jogging. I have been spending the whole time giving myself speeches: "One more step. Remember to breathe. Keep going. Don't stop. Breathe, you idiot! One more step. And another step. You can do it. No, I can't! YES, you can, you wimp! Breathe!"

As I dragged myself through those 10-minute stints of excruciating exercise (which y'all would laugh at because it was such weak-hearted exercise!) I kept telling myself that I just needed to get through the first month. It would all be much easier after a month.

Well, I noticed last week that exercising isn't quite as detestable as it was 3-4 weeks ago. And today I finally reached the point where I could think about something other than "Just keep going!" So hooray! Now I'm looking forward to eventually reaping some of the benefits of this self-inflicted punishment.

4 comments:

  1. You know what's crazy? I actually *want* to start jogging. But I can't.

    I'm glad you're getting back into it! I've been making myself go do garden work in the brutal humidity and sun; the benefits of getting out in the sun and getting sweaty and dirty far out weigh the misery of dragging myself out there.

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  2. Theoretically, I "wanted" to start jogging too. Until ... I had to actually put on the shoes and head out the door at a speed faster than "mosey."

    It's sort of like "wanting" to wash the dishes. I can't even imagine that some people LIKE to do it. But I like the counter cleared, and I like to be able to grab a glass or a spoon instead of having them all grimy. That's how I see jogging. Who wants to do it? But I like what I get from doing it.

    (And shoot, even when I did like it a few years ago, I still had to drag myself out there to do it.)

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  3. I like how you call it self-inflicted punishment. That's what I think of it too. I've never managed to get past those first few weeks of pure torture, so I give you a lot of credit!

    Last week on our way home from Wisconsin, our flight leaving Milwaukee was late which gave us six minutes to get to our connecting flight in Detroit. We had to run through the airport, 54 gates away. Alex carried all four of our carry-ons and pushed the stroller so that I only had to keep up. I held my belly and was having contractions the whole way. I even took off my sandals to help me "run" faster. (Picture that. A pregnant lady holding her belly, running barefoot through the airport, yelling at her husband 20 yards ahead "WE'RE NOT GONNA MAKE IT!" I just realized how ridiculous that must have looked.) I couldn't keep up with Alex. When we finally got to the gate, the airplane was backing away. We missed the flight.

    Granted, I'm seven months pregnant, but I bet if I was a runner we would have made that flight! Keep it up! You never know when you'll have to run through an airport to catch a flight.

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  4. Oh, Meghan, you're right about your run through the airport -- LOL. I wonder how many people were wondering if they should phone the paramedics ... and why would you be running toward the gates instead of toward the airport entrance (and hospital).

    Isn't it frustrating to put all that effort into it, and then have it be for naught?

    Back when I was jogging before, I never found myself having to run to catch a flight [airplanes? airports? what's that?] but I DID on occasion find myself needing to run/hurry and I was --wonder of wonders-- able to DO it. Woo hoo!

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