Day: September 18, 2016

I did it. I made it out for my second day of running. Notes from this run:

• Started off with a good pace and after the first half mile, settled into a decent pace.
• After the first mile was done, I felt absolutely great; no heavy breathing and no muscle aches or pain. If anything, I felt very neutral.
• At the end of my 1.62 mile route, I realized I got there quicker than the first time, so I ran some more to get at least 20 minutes in. I ended up with 20 minutes, 32 seconds and 1.88 miles.
• At the very end, I started to feel a little bit of aching in my right knee, but it’s not injured. I’ll take some Motrin today and it should be alright for the next run day after tomorrow.
• The post-run walk was much easier, and I didn’t feel as winded or sore. If anything, I felt really good.

If runs can feel like this every time, it might not be so horrible.

I was explaining this to Stevie this morning on our way to work while stuck in traffic in the carpool lane, and I realized that I have a plan that just might work this time. I run as hard as I can without going past “easy.” When it stops being easy, I stop. I’m not interested in beating anyone in a race, or in getting to some super-fast speed goal. I don’t care about bulking up, or losing weight through running (which I know isn’t a thing). I’m after getting in better shape, using up some extra calories, and building stamina. By pushing past “Easy” a little at a time, I won’t be breaking any speed records in how quickly I will get into shape, but I am hoping that this plan allows me to get in shape without getting injured and without hating it every step of the way.

Some people really enjoy pushing themselves and “Feeling the burn.” I’m not one of those people. I enjoy a more leisurely pace when it comes to my exercise progress. I don’t dislike progress. I do like that. I just don’t enjoy pushing myself to a failure point like others do.

So, I know: running under 2 miles isn’t impressive. Running sub-11 minute miles is not impressive. But doing that after not running 100 yards in the past 20 years is a big accomplishment for someone who was over 312 lbs just a year ago. I’ll take that as a victory and continue on with my slow pace and try to enjoy it along the way.