Running Week 1

So far I’ve kept up with the running/yoga goal, and it feels very good. Running MWFSa, Yoga, TuThSu.

When I was just walking, I felt like I had trouble with pacing. I walked the same amount of time every day, but would walk drastically different distances each day. The first day of running, I felt like my running pace was awkward and elusive, but during the walking intervals, my pace was immediately comfortable and steady. Like falling into a groove.

The second day of running, I found a running groove too.

While I feel winded at the end of each running interval, I’m not reduced to excessive panting and gasping, and am able to recover a normal breath within a couple of minutes.

The first couple of days I had no soreness, but this weekend I find that all of my muscle ends are a little sore. Lower Leg, Lower Thigh, and a smidge in left ankle (which I twisted in a non-running accident). Ankle injury didn’t affect running ability, so long as I was careful of my footing. And the overall running soreness is really mild, not a deterrant at all.

The only troublesome consequence so far has been headaches. I run late afternoon or early evening, and on each run day, I get a migrainey headache around bedtime. Poking around on the net, it looks like it could be an exertion headache, perhaps helped by careful stretching of neck and shoulders. I’ve had migraines before, and it could be that the shift in circulation and pressure is bringing them on. The headaches could also be resulting from shifts in caffeine and sugar consumption following the Season of the Nutritional Abyss. I’ve returned to pre-holiday eating patterns, and my body may be adjusting to more sane levels of caffeine and sugar. If the headaches persist through this week, I’ll see the doc to check them out. And try not be lured by worrying about the worst-case scenario offered on the medical web sites. lol

It’s very empowering to discover that I’m capable of running like this. I have a lot more energy, and aside from the occasional flare-up of identity panic, I feel calm and positive about a lot of things in a different way than I can remember for a while.

Next time: Teacher Meme