In the short amount of time that I have had to consider my new found 'athletic' career I have discovered that I am quite ignorant and in the dark about 'running'. I never thought that running required any kind of real preparation or research. Don't you just tie your shoes and hit the play-list on your MP3 Player??
A few days after the initial 'ambush' as I call it, my girlfriend and I decided to have our own little 'pow wow' to figure all of the details for the half-marathon. I assumed we'd talk dates, places, registering and when we'd start running together. We sit down and I am once again hit by a proverbial train. She starts dishing out words and phrases I had never heard of, let alone would have applied to running; figuring out what kind of ' pronater ' I am ( which sounds like a term for animal behavior in the wilds of Africa or some such... ' she pronates well with others, but doesn't like to share her food ' ), how to 'carb load', proper breathing, stretching, Do's and Don'ts of running, clothes to wear ( there are special clothes?!) , proper shoes to buy, how to map out routes for training, and ON and ON and ON it went! All the while I am having an internal break down because there is little hope left that I will have time or permission to sit on my butt anylonger and stuff my face with terrible, but delicious food while taking in my latest reality TV show... sigh...
I have a recently purchased pair of running shoes that I bought from a discount sporting good store. On the rare occasion that I use my treadmill or go out hiking, I dust these puppies off and give them a whirl. I assumed when I started this process that these shoes would suite my needs just fine. I'm not made of money, who needs new runners?? BAD BAD BAD idea. I am by no means a professional or experienced runner, but from what I have read so far, your feet are the most important tool you have for running. There are lists upon lists of the terrible costs you can incur if proper footwear is not your priority --- think of fallen arches, shin-splints, pulled tendons, swollen joints, sprains, BAD KNEES, and generally all manner of pain . Do one thing for yourself if you take up any kind of 'running', even if it's just recreational....get a damn good pair of shoes. ( Be prepared to pay on average $120.00 )
I went and checked out my local Running Room , which is a chain of stores that deals specifically with running and all of the equipment it requires. You can go there for free assessments, advice, training tips, free running clinics and information on your local marathons and races. It was there that one of my girlfriends ' lingo' words came back to me...and finally made sense...pronation. What is that, exactly? In my non-foot-scientist way...it is essentially how you walk, and how you position your feet in relation to your body. I am considered a normal or average pronator. Check out this link from Runner's World website, it provides a great explanation.
A few days after the initial 'ambush' as I call it, my girlfriend and I decided to have our own little 'pow wow' to figure all of the details for the half-marathon. I assumed we'd talk dates, places, registering and when we'd start running together. We sit down and I am once again hit by a proverbial train. She starts dishing out words and phrases I had never heard of, let alone would have applied to running; figuring out what kind of ' pronater ' I am ( which sounds like a term for animal behavior in the wilds of Africa or some such... ' she pronates well with others, but doesn't like to share her food ' ), how to 'carb load', proper breathing, stretching, Do's and Don'ts of running, clothes to wear ( there are special clothes?!) , proper shoes to buy, how to map out routes for training, and ON and ON and ON it went! All the while I am having an internal break down because there is little hope left that I will have time or permission to sit on my butt anylonger and stuff my face with terrible, but delicious food while taking in my latest reality TV show... sigh...
I have a recently purchased pair of running shoes that I bought from a discount sporting good store. On the rare occasion that I use my treadmill or go out hiking, I dust these puppies off and give them a whirl. I assumed when I started this process that these shoes would suite my needs just fine. I'm not made of money, who needs new runners?? BAD BAD BAD idea. I am by no means a professional or experienced runner, but from what I have read so far, your feet are the most important tool you have for running. There are lists upon lists of the terrible costs you can incur if proper footwear is not your priority --- think of fallen arches, shin-splints, pulled tendons, swollen joints, sprains, BAD KNEES, and generally all manner of pain . Do one thing for yourself if you take up any kind of 'running', even if it's just recreational....get a damn good pair of shoes. ( Be prepared to pay on average $120.00 )
I went and checked out my local Running Room , which is a chain of stores that deals specifically with running and all of the equipment it requires. You can go there for free assessments, advice, training tips, free running clinics and information on your local marathons and races. It was there that one of my girlfriends ' lingo' words came back to me...and finally made sense...pronation. What is that, exactly? In my non-foot-scientist way...it is essentially how you walk, and how you position your feet in relation to your body. I am considered a normal or average pronator. Check out this link from Runner's World website, it provides a great explanation.
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-240-319-327-7727-0,00.html
I have also included a link to the pair of shoes that I finally settled on - remember that brand name isn't always everything. Check to see how many km's the shoes will last and what 'terrain' it is designed for.Some name brands that have a lot of public support wear out 200 or 300 km's before others! That makes a big difference when you start digging into running ( which I haven't yet...but don't I sound professional saying it like that? ).
http://www.shop.runningroom.com/product_info.php?cPath=261_118_120&language_id=1&products_id=4519
There are a lot of things that I could prattle on about - like how crazy I have to be to voluntarily sign up for 16 weeks of hell just so I can run half a marathon in early winter and pay to do so??? Man I could talk about that all night. But again, I fear I digress...
On another note - I have started my running , doing 3km's tue, thurs, sat and weights/alternative activities mon, wed and friday. Sunday is devoted to a run double that of your weekly distance runs ... so this sunday I will run 6 km's. ( I'll post more details about the training...once I understand it better)
So far I have trouble breathing ( apparently there is a WAY to breathe when you run involving your diaphram and 'belly breathing' ) and run slower than a dead snail... seriously slow. I couldn't run a km without stopping. You start off feeling good, looking snazzy in your little shorts and then BAM...where did all the air go ?? Seriously...someone took it.
One day down...tomorrow morning brings another run. Oh Joy.
And on an unrelated note... while I was walking today ( alternate activity ) nature decided that it is going to have its revenge and kick my lilly white ass...or sting it. I walked over an electric grid on the sidewalk and was suddenly swarmed by some wasps where I then started to hop around like a crazy lady ( there were some old men gardenning accross the street pointing some kind of trowel my way ) and yell at the world for getting poison pumped into my leg. Awesome. Thanks nature...now my leg not only hurts like a ( insert expletive ), it also makes wearing pants pretty damn hard.
...and on that happy note...off I go to bed. Night ;)
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