Pounding

My friends all seem to run, some with more damage than others. I have not been so much of a runner recently, if ever. Although I'm not supposed to think that way. You see, the other half gave me a fabulous book a few years ago, called Running for Women. Although it had lots of useful tips & info, the best thing it told me was to think of yourself as a runner. No matter how graceful you are, no matter what speed you go at, YOU ARE A RUNNER. Apparently.

The thing is, that mental re-training worked on me. I did indeed at least consider that I might be a runner, not just that I went jogging. However, that came to a sharp finish after I developed serious knee troubles Christmas 2002, when I was (honestly!) training for the marathon. Just like that, I lost a lot of the confidence in my body strength and power that I hadn't even realised running had given me.

Since then, I've run in periods, off and on, going through good and bad patches. I don't tend to enjoy it as much these days, simply because "enjoyment" comes from being able to think, process, and enjoy the physical activity, which comes from fitness, which you can only get from putting in the miles week after week. I hadn't run this semester because the only way I could think of fitting in gym visits with the mountain of reading and horrible schedule I'd inflicted upon myself was to bike and read my cases then. However, I pulled my hamstring a couple of weeks ago, and needed to test my hamstring this morning to check I could play football.

I was only going to jog for five minutes, try out a couple of sprints, and then bike, safely.

I couldn't stop. Well, I had to after half an hour because we were getting chucked out for the "cleaning" that takes place in our gym (where they apparently feel the need to remove the straps from the pedals on all the exercise bikes), and because I had a stitch and was exhausted. My knee is twinging a little. But I feel happy. I'd forgotten just how much lower and looser my shoulders feel from running. THREE MILES! In just over twenty eight minutes.

I may do it again. Soon.