... well, it's not so much pain exactly, it's more like leaden feet and having to work really hard to breathe and sometimes getting lightheaded. At one point during Tuesday's run I really thought I might fall over. And I'm not even really running that much! I'm still on my run-walk-run-walk routine, although I did increase my total distance to three miles. Even with the increase, I thought that since I've been doing this for a little while now, it would begin to get easier. But then my dear encouraging friend Justin gave me these inspiring words: "When you're running, you hate everything." So now I understand. No, I'm not quitting, I will continue to go out on Tuesday and Saturday mornings and make myself miserable for the better part of an hour ... and wonder, as I stumble up the stairs to take a shower, why I do this to myself .... and then do it again the next time. What is this?!
(seriously - any runners who are reading - does it ever start to feel less awful?)
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It should be noted, oh persistent one, that my happy little story was in the context of a 5K race. :-P People who are running competitively in those will tell you that they are little more than a masochistic death sprint. That's the nature of the 5K, too short to really pace yourself on, but long enough for your pain receptors to get going full throttle. Now, training runs, group runs, and longer runs, can all be much more enjoyable. But there is some truth to the notion that a great deal of running is pain endurance. We gladly welcome you to our ranks, Sheila! :-D
I just stumbled upon your blog- it's been a year, are you still running?
I ask because I struggle with running as well. Having admitted that, I can assure you that it does get better. As you become stronger and faster, the pace you USED to run will feel relaxing because you've grown to new levels of endurance. So, running always hurts in a way, but that is because with the same level of exertion and pain-endurance, you are going farther, faster. Hang in there.
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