Sunday, September 18, 2011

Back to basics, sort of and Rock and roll girl

So, because of the tendon issue I've been having I had to stop running for a while. It made me angry. A couple of times I went out and ran out of sheer stubborn desperation. I'd run  an average of a mile and a half and be in agony. That would anger me further. Finally, I gave up.
And then, well and then one day I decided to go back to the basics. I walked and then I ran. I walked some more and ran even more. I ran more than I walked and it felt glorious to run again...until the next day when I had what felt like shinsplints. I didn't care. That could be dealt with. I had hope again.
Two days later I went out and did almost the same thing, but this time I dialed back the running time a little and gave myself more balance between my run and walk time. Then I did it again. And again. And it's getting better. I'm finding a new groove and routine. What I've discovered is this-- I'm running faster than I did before. Granted, it's shorter bursts, but I feel like I'm building up to something. The reality is I may never be able to jog more than a mile and a half at a time without some nasty consequences, but I may be able to make just as good time doing a run/walk split.
My goal is to do a run/walk for a minimum of 30 minutes 3-4, preferably 4, times a week and see how I progress. Eventually I'll try to run more than mile and a half straight. If the pain kicks in I'll walk, but at a good clip and when it settles down, I'll run again. I'm going to do another 5K and then I'm going to keep pushing. I want to eventually do a half marathon. I'd given up hope on that, but damn it that's what I want and I'm going to push.
And thinking of pushing....at core I am a rock and roll chick. It's rock that fuels me through a run and enables me to push further than I might otherwise have. Here are the two that pushed me on my last run. They gave my feet wings! Turn it up!