I think I can say that, in the short time I've been doing this, yesterday was the hardest run I've done.
In fact, in retrospect, the decision to go out there was foolish and ill-considered.
Let's take a look at yesterday's weather: the regular temperature was -9C, but with windchill, it was -18C. That's not the problem. It was pleasant. The issue was the blowing snow - they had predicted from 20 to 25 cm.
I had walked home in it. I knew it was going to be bad. But I really really wanted to be somewhere, and it would be almost perfect running distance.
I had so many excuses not to go out; legitimate ones! The weather was unsafe, I was tired from walking home, it wasn't really necessary to go.
But I did it, and I'm proud to have proved that I can run in a snowstorm. But I don't think I'll do it again any time soon.
I think I'll use the gym next time.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Running, Week Two
So I've been doing this crazy 'running' thing for a week. A whole week. That's a long time... in ant years.
The weird thing is, I'm loving it. I was really enjoying the run today. I'm up to 3 minutes run, 1 minute walk, and I am eating this stuff up! My legs aren't tired or sore right now, and I find I end the night with a rousing 36 crunches and other stretches.
Today's run took me down a slightly different path. I was running along the river, a flattened path of snow. It was a good run, but I was glad to be wearing my red jacket; the path was pretty dark, and I felt a bit nervous seeing other people on the path - who are they? What if they're muggers, looking for a naïve jogger like myself to harm? What if I slip and fall and knock myself out? What if, what if, what if.
Anyways, apart from my fears, I'm doing fine. By the end of the week, this will be a breeze, and I'll be ready for the next challenge.
I'm slowly trying to modify my diet, too. Tonight was baked chicken, boiled baby potatoes with a sprinkle of salt, and veggies. No butter, no oils (though oils are healthy!), nothing naughty. Hopefully this will make up for my morning breakfast of a fried egg-and-cheese sandwich (on brown toast, no butter!) and coffee.
Gear-wise, I'm happy with everything but the heart-rate monitor. In the sad case of this one, simple means stupid. I can't switch from the monitor back to the timer, there's no discernible stopwatch, and I highly doubt there's any nightlight that I can operate without screwing something up. I challenge Polar to make it better!
The weather is supposed to be going up this week, which has me all a-squee. I won't have to wear long-johns under my pants! Which reminds me of my next topic - layering is everything, and you can run in -20C weather if you're dressed right.
If I can, anyone can!
The weird thing is, I'm loving it. I was really enjoying the run today. I'm up to 3 minutes run, 1 minute walk, and I am eating this stuff up! My legs aren't tired or sore right now, and I find I end the night with a rousing 36 crunches and other stretches.
Today's run took me down a slightly different path. I was running along the river, a flattened path of snow. It was a good run, but I was glad to be wearing my red jacket; the path was pretty dark, and I felt a bit nervous seeing other people on the path - who are they? What if they're muggers, looking for a naïve jogger like myself to harm? What if I slip and fall and knock myself out? What if, what if, what if.
Anyways, apart from my fears, I'm doing fine. By the end of the week, this will be a breeze, and I'll be ready for the next challenge.
I'm slowly trying to modify my diet, too. Tonight was baked chicken, boiled baby potatoes with a sprinkle of salt, and veggies. No butter, no oils (though oils are healthy!), nothing naughty. Hopefully this will make up for my morning breakfast of a fried egg-and-cheese sandwich (on brown toast, no butter!) and coffee.
Gear-wise, I'm happy with everything but the heart-rate monitor. In the sad case of this one, simple means stupid. I can't switch from the monitor back to the timer, there's no discernible stopwatch, and I highly doubt there's any nightlight that I can operate without screwing something up. I challenge Polar to make it better!
The weather is supposed to be going up this week, which has me all a-squee. I won't have to wear long-johns under my pants! Which reminds me of my next topic - layering is everything, and you can run in -20C weather if you're dressed right.
If I can, anyone can!
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Running in a New City
I have found a new, novel use for Yaktrax: if you are running in a new city, with lots of twists and turns, you can follow your yaktrax tracks back to your origin.
I am in Trois-Rivières this weekend, to watch my sister box. A lot of people seem... maybe not awed, but approving of my declared intention to run 10K. Coming from a boxing community, where a lot of their cardio is gained from running, this feels like a pat on the back.
I went out for a run this morning. The weather was a cool -15C with windchill to about -25C. After a few minutes of running, of course, I didn't feel the cold much anymore. I had my tunes going, I was out adventuring a new city, and I was running through a nagging tension in my left calf (an old issue, which I will explain when I remember exactly what it is).
I felt slightly plateau-ey. I didn't have quite as much fun as last time, but I'm aware that you have some good days, and some bad days, and hopefully it averages out to the good side.
This run would be classified as 'average'. There were a few times that I over-ran the clock (I'm still on the 2m run, 1m walk), so I think moving to the next week will be reasonably easy to follow through on.
I almost got lost, too! Fortunately, I headed back the way I came and then found my old Yaktrax marks in the scraped snow, thus saving me from an ignominious, chilly death.
However, I think I got a bit of frost bite on my face. Gotta be careful with that!
In other news, I think I like running in winter. I must be crazy.
I am in Trois-Rivières this weekend, to watch my sister box. A lot of people seem... maybe not awed, but approving of my declared intention to run 10K. Coming from a boxing community, where a lot of their cardio is gained from running, this feels like a pat on the back.
I went out for a run this morning. The weather was a cool -15C with windchill to about -25C. After a few minutes of running, of course, I didn't feel the cold much anymore. I had my tunes going, I was out adventuring a new city, and I was running through a nagging tension in my left calf (an old issue, which I will explain when I remember exactly what it is).
I felt slightly plateau-ey. I didn't have quite as much fun as last time, but I'm aware that you have some good days, and some bad days, and hopefully it averages out to the good side.
This run would be classified as 'average'. There were a few times that I over-ran the clock (I'm still on the 2m run, 1m walk), so I think moving to the next week will be reasonably easy to follow through on.
I almost got lost, too! Fortunately, I headed back the way I came and then found my old Yaktrax marks in the scraped snow, thus saving me from an ignominious, chilly death.
However, I think I got a bit of frost bite on my face. Gotta be careful with that!
In other news, I think I like running in winter. I must be crazy.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
What Moves Me
I must be crazy. What possesses a young woman, whose only background in running is chasing after a plastic disc, to declare that she's going to run a 10 kilometer race in the spring?
Especially in January?
I'm not sure I can rightly say what gave me the bright idea. The bus strike, as mentioned in my first post, was a good start. But to go from 'this is boring, I want to move faster' to 'let's run a 10K!' leaves a lot of bridging to be desired.
I knew I was going to have to make a financial commitment, so I couldn't just say, "I don't have the equipment, it's not worth it," or, "I haven't paid for the race, so I'm not obligated." But now I am. I have good equipment and gear, and I have obligated myself to the race by paying $30. Sounds cheap, perhaps, but I want to get my $30 worth.
What gets me out the door? To be honest, thinking about the race. When I think that I do want to run these 10 kilometers, I remember that there's hard work involved. And I can do it. I've had a lot of shifting of personal beliefs in the past two years, and one of the biggest is reminiscent of Barack Obama's campaign phrase: Yes, I Can, combined with another phrase batted about on TV: I'm Worth It (Dove).
So now I've committed myself financially, and I've rethought my personal value, and I'm out the door. There's gotta be something to get me moving, and keep me moving. A lot of it my music. When I listen to it, I have fun. Some people are purists - listening to music ruins their concentration. Not me, man. It's the thing that keeps me from thinking about running (which is very dull for me - there's only so many steps I can count before I don't care anymore). When I'm listening to music while I run, I mouth the words, I do little dances at red lights, I have fun with it. I don't suggest trying to do the Time Warp, though (the start is fine, but the pelvic thrust is a bit hard). Music has always been a part of me, albeit shut away recently, and now that I can incorporate it into something dedicated in my life, I find it's coming back to me too.
Speaking of Motivation, Runners' World has a hilarious series of articles called the Newbie Chronicles, written by Marc Parent, a self-admitted over-weight, over-40 year-old father who has recently gotten in to the running scene. His latest article that I read in RW's February issue, is on what keeps him moving - action movie scenes in his head.
Frankly, reading any of Mr. Parent's articles motivate me, because I think they're hilarious - even if I wasn't into running, I would enjoy his humour. I highly suggest it for a laugh.
And finally, what gets me back out there? Visualizing the end of running 10 kilometers, and that feeling of amazement, of excitement and pat-on-the-back. At night, as I lay in bed trying to sleep, my brain keeps me up with visualizing the end of the run. I take part of my visuals from John Stanton's book, as he describes visualizing the race - ending strong, feeling in charge, and hopefully, very hungry! If I don't watch it, I might just get up at that point and go for a run! But the PJs aren't waterproof, and it's cold outside, so I tell myself, "Tomorrow, we're gonna have a great run."
Especially in January?
I'm not sure I can rightly say what gave me the bright idea. The bus strike, as mentioned in my first post, was a good start. But to go from 'this is boring, I want to move faster' to 'let's run a 10K!' leaves a lot of bridging to be desired.
I knew I was going to have to make a financial commitment, so I couldn't just say, "I don't have the equipment, it's not worth it," or, "I haven't paid for the race, so I'm not obligated." But now I am. I have good equipment and gear, and I have obligated myself to the race by paying $30. Sounds cheap, perhaps, but I want to get my $30 worth.
What gets me out the door? To be honest, thinking about the race. When I think that I do want to run these 10 kilometers, I remember that there's hard work involved. And I can do it. I've had a lot of shifting of personal beliefs in the past two years, and one of the biggest is reminiscent of Barack Obama's campaign phrase: Yes, I Can, combined with another phrase batted about on TV: I'm Worth It (Dove).
So now I've committed myself financially, and I've rethought my personal value, and I'm out the door. There's gotta be something to get me moving, and keep me moving. A lot of it my music. When I listen to it, I have fun. Some people are purists - listening to music ruins their concentration. Not me, man. It's the thing that keeps me from thinking about running (which is very dull for me - there's only so many steps I can count before I don't care anymore). When I'm listening to music while I run, I mouth the words, I do little dances at red lights, I have fun with it. I don't suggest trying to do the Time Warp, though (the start is fine, but the pelvic thrust is a bit hard). Music has always been a part of me, albeit shut away recently, and now that I can incorporate it into something dedicated in my life, I find it's coming back to me too.
Speaking of Motivation, Runners' World has a hilarious series of articles called the Newbie Chronicles, written by Marc Parent, a self-admitted over-weight, over-40 year-old father who has recently gotten in to the running scene. His latest article that I read in RW's February issue, is on what keeps him moving - action movie scenes in his head.
Frankly, reading any of Mr. Parent's articles motivate me, because I think they're hilarious - even if I wasn't into running, I would enjoy his humour. I highly suggest it for a laugh.
And finally, what gets me back out there? Visualizing the end of running 10 kilometers, and that feeling of amazement, of excitement and pat-on-the-back. At night, as I lay in bed trying to sleep, my brain keeps me up with visualizing the end of the run. I take part of my visuals from John Stanton's book, as he describes visualizing the race - ending strong, feeling in charge, and hopefully, very hungry! If I don't watch it, I might just get up at that point and go for a run! But the PJs aren't waterproof, and it's cold outside, so I tell myself, "Tomorrow, we're gonna have a great run."
Running with Yax
I promised myself I wasn't going to do this to my bank account for a few more weeks, but I have. And I don't regret it. I bought a new pair of running shoes.
The rule of thumb is that you should replace running shoes every 6 to 8 months, or every 1000 km.
My old shoes are about two years old now, and when I took them to the Running Room guy, he said that, while they'd be good for puttering or walking about in, they were not suitable for running. He then showed me the side of my shoe, down by the bottom, where some creases were showing. Apparently, there is foam, like an Aero bar, in there, and the creases indicate that the foam is no longer springing back as it should. How educational!
So I broke down and got a new pair of shoes. Lovely Brooks shoes, the first ones on that I tried, and they're so comfortable. I don't even need to put my Superfeet insoles in them!
I also got a pair of Yaktrax ice-grippers. My hesitation in buying them lay in whether they would grip the slush that coats the sidewalks as well as snow and ice, but the salesguy assured me it wouldn't be a problem.
I would like to take a moment to mention - the Running Room sales people, and so far all running-equipment salespeople, are priceless. I was asking all sorts of newbie questions: what's a clinic like? It's more than one lesson for $75? Do you have any coming up for the 10K? and the guy answered them all patiently and thoroughly. He also gave me times when he would be less busy, and thusly be more able to answer any more questions I had.
Then, equipped with these things (and a price around $200! yikes!), I got home and went out immediately for a run.
I layered up - old long-johns underneath my lined running pants on bottom, a skin layer, long-johns top, my hooded top, and my wind-breaker on top. I was toasty as a marshmallow, lemme tell ya, but not too toasty. For this weather, it was great! I was doing one minute walk, two minutes run, rinse and repeat, and I can really say I felt great doing it. A couple of times at the end of the runs, I felt like continuing, and a couple of times, I felt like a walk was necessary, but it felt great!
The Yaktrax were a good addition - while they didn't keep me from slipping on every surface, they did a good job with the slush. The one problem was when they got bogged up with snow. Stomping on my heel did the trick to loosen the snow.
Anyways, I have a guest coming over for dinner (a healthy baked salmon with wild rice and broccoli with a not-as-healthy cheese sauce), and I've got tons of cleaning to do.
Later, what motivates me, and others.
The rule of thumb is that you should replace running shoes every 6 to 8 months, or every 1000 km.
My old shoes are about two years old now, and when I took them to the Running Room guy, he said that, while they'd be good for puttering or walking about in, they were not suitable for running. He then showed me the side of my shoe, down by the bottom, where some creases were showing. Apparently, there is foam, like an Aero bar, in there, and the creases indicate that the foam is no longer springing back as it should. How educational!
So I broke down and got a new pair of shoes. Lovely Brooks shoes, the first ones on that I tried, and they're so comfortable. I don't even need to put my Superfeet insoles in them!
I also got a pair of Yaktrax ice-grippers. My hesitation in buying them lay in whether they would grip the slush that coats the sidewalks as well as snow and ice, but the salesguy assured me it wouldn't be a problem.
I would like to take a moment to mention - the Running Room sales people, and so far all running-equipment salespeople, are priceless. I was asking all sorts of newbie questions: what's a clinic like? It's more than one lesson for $75? Do you have any coming up for the 10K? and the guy answered them all patiently and thoroughly. He also gave me times when he would be less busy, and thusly be more able to answer any more questions I had.
Then, equipped with these things (and a price around $200! yikes!), I got home and went out immediately for a run.
I layered up - old long-johns underneath my lined running pants on bottom, a skin layer, long-johns top, my hooded top, and my wind-breaker on top. I was toasty as a marshmallow, lemme tell ya, but not too toasty. For this weather, it was great! I was doing one minute walk, two minutes run, rinse and repeat, and I can really say I felt great doing it. A couple of times at the end of the runs, I felt like continuing, and a couple of times, I felt like a walk was necessary, but it felt great!
The Yaktrax were a good addition - while they didn't keep me from slipping on every surface, they did a good job with the slush. The one problem was when they got bogged up with snow. Stomping on my heel did the trick to loosen the snow.
Anyways, I have a guest coming over for dinner (a healthy baked salmon with wild rice and broccoli with a not-as-healthy cheese sauce), and I've got tons of cleaning to do.
Later, what motivates me, and others.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
I Can Has Cold
As of this morning, I think I will have to acknowledge that I am getting a cold.
I can fight it and ignore the signs and pretend that everything will be okay, but there's more at stake than just my pride.
First, there's the running. So I'm not going to run today, but I will tomorrow.
Second, I am going to Trois-Rivières this weekend to see my sister, and I will have to run there.
So I'm going to take it easy and take short-cuts when I can - today, I'm getting a ride in to work. Maybe I'll get a ride home, too.
What Would John (Stanton) Do?
I can fight it and ignore the signs and pretend that everything will be okay, but there's more at stake than just my pride.
First, there's the running. So I'm not going to run today, but I will tomorrow.
Second, I am going to Trois-Rivières this weekend to see my sister, and I will have to run there.
So I'm going to take it easy and take short-cuts when I can - today, I'm getting a ride in to work. Maybe I'll get a ride home, too.
What Would John (Stanton) Do?
Monday, January 19, 2009
The First Run
I woke up this morning, and knew today would be the day. Today would be the first leg of my journey into jogging. And then I hit the snooze button.
When I did emerge from my warm cocoon of blankets and linens, I pondered how I would pull this off. I had to walk to work, so what would I do with my coat? What would I wear on the way to work? How would I get it home?
Fortunately, I'd thought about this. I decided to layer my heavy fall coat over my wind-repellent spring coat. At the end of the day, I would leave it at work, and bring my heavier coat in tomorrow, bringing both home that night.
Shirts were easy to fit into my back pack, and I wore my running pants under my work pants. I could fit my work outfit into my backpack on the way home.
In the end, everything worked out, but I have discovered my first hatred of running. Worse than the ache in my knee, worse than people in my way (though that was quite irritating), it's the slush. The slippy, slidy, uncertain footing of snow that's been ground in with salt, and the city hasn't had time to clean it yet. There are these things called Yaktrax that fit around your shoe to prevent slipping on ice - but what about mushy snow? There's also STABILicers, which have the same set-up, but they seem heavier-duty, like baseball cleats. However, with all the salt that's spread on Ottawa's streets, something that serious seems unnecessary.
Anyways, the run itself was interesting - I couldn't figure out how to get my stopwatch sorted out, so I ran according to my heart-beat. I would run until my heartbeat was way above the MHR, then walk until it had dropped to about 150 bpm. I think the continuous surpassing of 160 bpm is due to both lack of fitness and the slushy roads - keeping on my feet required a lot more effort than it should!
The weather was decently warm - when I left, it was -10C and the windchill was 'calm'. However, the snow - what a pain!
I'm not too happy with how I felt during the run - I needed to stretch out more, but after a while, the threat of seizing went away and it turned into a gentle tired feeling. I think with more practice, it will get better. I just really have to keep working on it.
Now, for my congratulatory dinner, I will be making a nice, hot curry.
When I did emerge from my warm cocoon of blankets and linens, I pondered how I would pull this off. I had to walk to work, so what would I do with my coat? What would I wear on the way to work? How would I get it home?
Fortunately, I'd thought about this. I decided to layer my heavy fall coat over my wind-repellent spring coat. At the end of the day, I would leave it at work, and bring my heavier coat in tomorrow, bringing both home that night.
Shirts were easy to fit into my back pack, and I wore my running pants under my work pants. I could fit my work outfit into my backpack on the way home.
In the end, everything worked out, but I have discovered my first hatred of running. Worse than the ache in my knee, worse than people in my way (though that was quite irritating), it's the slush. The slippy, slidy, uncertain footing of snow that's been ground in with salt, and the city hasn't had time to clean it yet. There are these things called Yaktrax that fit around your shoe to prevent slipping on ice - but what about mushy snow? There's also STABILicers, which have the same set-up, but they seem heavier-duty, like baseball cleats. However, with all the salt that's spread on Ottawa's streets, something that serious seems unnecessary.
Anyways, the run itself was interesting - I couldn't figure out how to get my stopwatch sorted out, so I ran according to my heart-beat. I would run until my heartbeat was way above the MHR, then walk until it had dropped to about 150 bpm. I think the continuous surpassing of 160 bpm is due to both lack of fitness and the slushy roads - keeping on my feet required a lot more effort than it should!
The weather was decently warm - when I left, it was -10C and the windchill was 'calm'. However, the snow - what a pain!
I'm not too happy with how I felt during the run - I needed to stretch out more, but after a while, the threat of seizing went away and it turned into a gentle tired feeling. I think with more practice, it will get better. I just really have to keep working on it.
Now, for my congratulatory dinner, I will be making a nice, hot curry.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Diet
When I think of diet, I usually slide into the 'lose weight fast! Call Jenny Craig' idea of diet - that I'm not going to be able to enjoy my usual foods. I have to get my mind out of that rut. Diet should mean eating smarter.
I eat a lot of pasta, red meat, potatoes, rice, and cheese. These are like the staples in my diet. I never really ate salad, growing up - leafy greens aren't prominent in my household's British cooking style.
But I'm trying to change that. Now, I am at least aware that cheese is pretty fattening, and to be enjoyed sparingly (a little treat after a long walk home), whole-wheat pasta is just as yummy as durum-wheat pasta, I can still eat red meat but trim the fat, and potatoes and rice... those are good.
What I've managed to accomplish since I moved here is to almost completely eliminate fast food from my diet, avoid most junk foods like chocolate bars and chips (though there's been a recent falling-off-that-wagon), and putting yohgurt on pancakes is a fun new way to eat my favourite breakfast food (which I haven't eaten much of in a long time anyways).
So I'll talk about diet pitfalls and so on too.
I eat a lot of pasta, red meat, potatoes, rice, and cheese. These are like the staples in my diet. I never really ate salad, growing up - leafy greens aren't prominent in my household's British cooking style.
But I'm trying to change that. Now, I am at least aware that cheese is pretty fattening, and to be enjoyed sparingly (a little treat after a long walk home), whole-wheat pasta is just as yummy as durum-wheat pasta, I can still eat red meat but trim the fat, and potatoes and rice... those are good.
What I've managed to accomplish since I moved here is to almost completely eliminate fast food from my diet, avoid most junk foods like chocolate bars and chips (though there's been a recent falling-off-that-wagon), and putting yohgurt on pancakes is a fun new way to eat my favourite breakfast food (which I haven't eaten much of in a long time anyways).
So I'll talk about diet pitfalls and so on too.
Friday, January 16, 2009
On Heart-Rate Monitors
So I figured if I'm going to do this, I may as well do it properly. So I got a heart-rate monitor (HRM).
Suddenly, what I've read in John Stanton's Running Room's Book on Running is making more sense. Maximum heart rate, target zone, fartlek - these words hold no menace for me anymore. Since heart rate seemed so important to training, and moreso to not exhausting myself, I figured I would look into a heart rate monitor.
Since I'm starting out, I rationalized I only need a very simple monitor - you can get them with bells, whistles, doodads and add-ons to make your head spin. Of course, the more doodads, the higher price. Also, I'm on a budget.
I was looking at the Acumen Eon Basix heartrate monitor, because it seemed like the most basic and least expensive of them. The review I read was pretty blasé - there are pluses, there are minuses - but it seemed to be generally what I wanted.
The book mentioned above describes Polar as the best monitor brand out there, however, so when I didn't see Acumen at the store, I wasn't too depressed. I ended up purchasing the F2 by Polar for $70 plus tax. However, the salesman was really adamant that I might just be wasting my money. Instead, he suggested the Garmin Forerunner, either the 205 or the 305. According to him, the heart rate is less important than the pace and speed.
I certainly can't disagree with something I don't know enough about. But I was also looking for a timer/stop watch, and I'm going on what I do know, which is that when I started running the first time (somewhere, an ex is chortling at the words 'first time'), we used a heart rate monitor, and it was fun.
Not to mention - the 205 comes in at a cool $199 and the 305 is $299 (suggested retail prices on Garmin's website). Since that totally blows my budget, I think for now, I will keep it to the basic monitor that I bought, until I have a better understanding of what I'm doing.
Suddenly, what I've read in John Stanton's Running Room's Book on Running is making more sense. Maximum heart rate, target zone, fartlek - these words hold no menace for me anymore. Since heart rate seemed so important to training, and moreso to not exhausting myself, I figured I would look into a heart rate monitor.
Since I'm starting out, I rationalized I only need a very simple monitor - you can get them with bells, whistles, doodads and add-ons to make your head spin. Of course, the more doodads, the higher price. Also, I'm on a budget.
I was looking at the Acumen Eon Basix heartrate monitor, because it seemed like the most basic and least expensive of them. The review I read was pretty blasé - there are pluses, there are minuses - but it seemed to be generally what I wanted.
The book mentioned above describes Polar as the best monitor brand out there, however, so when I didn't see Acumen at the store, I wasn't too depressed. I ended up purchasing the F2 by Polar for $70 plus tax. However, the salesman was really adamant that I might just be wasting my money. Instead, he suggested the Garmin Forerunner, either the 205 or the 305. According to him, the heart rate is less important than the pace and speed.
I certainly can't disagree with something I don't know enough about. But I was also looking for a timer/stop watch, and I'm going on what I do know, which is that when I started running the first time (somewhere, an ex is chortling at the words 'first time'), we used a heart rate monitor, and it was fun.
Not to mention - the 205 comes in at a cool $199 and the 305 is $299 (suggested retail prices on Garmin's website). Since that totally blows my budget, I think for now, I will keep it to the basic monitor that I bought, until I have a better understanding of what I'm doing.
Introduction
I've decided to start this blog as an encouragement to run. It's a bit nerve-wracking. I mean, I don't come from a family that runs, and I've never really enjoyed running for its own value.
You might be asking why the hell I'm doing this, then! A very good question.
The idea came to me as I was walking to work one day. This walk wasn't voluntary - the city's transit union is on strike, grinding the city to a relative halt. I, without car or carpool options, decided that walking 5.4 kilometres in winter wouldn't be so bad.
After doing that a few weeks, I was getting bored, so I thought it'd be a lovely way to get into running again.
I thought, however, that I needed some extra motivation - so I went and enrolled myself in the 10K run that will be happening on May 23, 2009.
So with all that, and with some extra gear for running in cold weather, I guess I'm ready.
Except for the weather, which turned even more unseasonably cold this week. I asked my friend who said that running in too-cold of weather can cause ice particles to form in the lungs. Since it's been -25C with a windchill taking it to -35C and lower, I've held off starting until next week. I think it would be detrimental, shocking my lungs like that.
That should get better by the end of this weekend, however, and next week should be much more exercise-inviting.
You might be asking why the hell I'm doing this, then! A very good question.
The idea came to me as I was walking to work one day. This walk wasn't voluntary - the city's transit union is on strike, grinding the city to a relative halt. I, without car or carpool options, decided that walking 5.4 kilometres in winter wouldn't be so bad.
After doing that a few weeks, I was getting bored, so I thought it'd be a lovely way to get into running again.
I thought, however, that I needed some extra motivation - so I went and enrolled myself in the 10K run that will be happening on May 23, 2009.
So with all that, and with some extra gear for running in cold weather, I guess I'm ready.
Except for the weather, which turned even more unseasonably cold this week. I asked my friend who said that running in too-cold of weather can cause ice particles to form in the lungs. Since it's been -25C with a windchill taking it to -35C and lower, I've held off starting until next week. I think it would be detrimental, shocking my lungs like that.
That should get better by the end of this weekend, however, and next week should be much more exercise-inviting.
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