on running

i have started running again.  i can't believe it either.

a history of miss claire's running:

i peaked in 8th grade.  i ran track in 8th grade because...i have no idea.  but i didn't hate it, and in one meet i came in 3rd place in the mile.  my time was 7 minutes and something.  i liked track.  weird.

okay, i didn't peak in 8th grade.  i peaked in 8th and 9th and 10th grade when i was on a traveling soccer team and we had intense practices that began with a long 20-30 minute run.  i could do these runs, which shocks me now.  in high school i was the...least skinny kid on the team.  i remember our coach - whose last name was faggett.  YES.  coach faggett.  i believe it had two t's.  he was one of the only black professionals in town and he was very religious and he had a cute daughter.  this is all i remember about him - our coach would run with us, and at the beginning of each season he would end the run out of breath, commenting that he hated being in shape in his legs but out of shape in his lungs.

i continued to play soccer through high school and then played rugby in college.

in college we did a lot of running, but i wasn't exactly in the best shape of my life.  there was a fair amount of beer drinking and papa john's pizza consuming, as well.

i graduated from college and stopped running.  for a while i just stopped exercising in general because (a) new hampshire was cold, (b) i hadn't discovered yoga yet, and (c) i thought that the only good workout was a run, and if i didn't want to run i just didn't work out.

later i discovered yoga and lifting weights and walking, and those have become my workout staples.  i'm a very consistent 3 times a week exerciser because it's something i enjoy doing.

and then two weeks ago i decided that i wanted to get in better shape.  i've added in some no pressure running into my walks.  the key is that there's no pressure - no one's forcing me to run.  this is really important to me.

the first day i ran for 5 minutes and 30 seconds of an hour long walk.

the next time, 6 minutes.

the next time, 7.

the next time 8.  i had to lie down after that one.  it was really hot.  i'll blame it on the heat.

then 9, 10, 11, 12.  today i ran for 13 minutes - five 2-3 minute intervals.

(yes, i am calling it interval training to feel better about myself.)

um, running is fun.  I FORGOT.  when you don't attach all these expectations to it, running is fun.  lady gaga and i having a good time.

my shins hurt at the start of each run, but my lungs are the ones out of shape.  i think about coach faggett every time i finish running and have to work to catch my breath.

should you be impressed with what i'm doing?  obviously not.  running for 13 minutes - and not even in a row - isn't much to write home about when i have friends running marathons (yay morgan!).  but all of this has been such a good reminder to me to push myself a little bit.  that it's fun to set goals.  and this april in atlanta has been incredible - it's cooler than late march was, with highs in the mid 70s instead of the mid 80s.  being outside is awesome.