Life Off-Label

In November, I noticed that Warrior Dash is coming back to the Dallas area in April. I knew some friends who have done it, and I decided I want to do it, too. There was only one problem: I haven’t run seriously since about 8th grade, and was nowhere near prepared to do a 5K, which is part of the stipulation of completing the Warrior Dash. So, since I had plenty of time, I decided to try out the Couch to 5K program as a way of easing myself back into running.

The first week was a wake-up call to how out of shape I was. I only had to run in 60 second intervals, after which I would walk for 60 seconds, for 20 minutes total. That, yes that, left me pretty out of breath and exhausted.

By week 3, I could tell my endurance was getting better. Running for three minute segments didn’t seem too hard at all. I noticed some other benefits, too. I’ve started losing some of those stubborn last pounds I could never seem to get rid of, which is especially impressive considering how much I ate over Thanksgiving. It’s also been a GREAT way to let off some steam during finals week. Wait a second… am I actually enjoying cardio? The only downfall is that I’m prone to tendonitis around my knees, which is why I didn’t run much before, and it started flaring up, but I decided to tough it out. I iced my knees after workouts and looked into more stretches to do, and that seemed to help some.

Week 4 was a bit of a bigger leap. I ran five minutes at a time and was up to two miles of walking and running total. It’s almost 2/3 of a 5K, but I realized I still have a long way to go. I bought new shoes, and they are pretty amazing. There is such a huge difference in the way it feels when I run with them, and the knee pain has gone down dramatically.

I had a but of a hiatus the past couple of weeks, but it’s not entirely due to my laziness. I’ve made two trips up to Wisconsin (one, unfortunately, was unexpected for my grandmother’s funeral). I brought my running shoes and some gym clothes along just in case one of the hotels had an exercise room, but we spent so much time visiting with family that it would be pretty late by the time we got back, and I’m not dedicated enough to go running when it’s midnight and I’m feeling exhausted.

I got back to going to the gym when we got back to Texas this week, and I know once I get back to Oklahoma and settle into a routine again I should be more consistent with my running. Warrior Dash is still three months away, so I’m not panicking. I was good over Christmas, but family food (especially my aunt’s awesome peanut brittle) and catching up with old friends at various non-healthy restaurants have left me feeling a little heavier after this winter break. Hopefully the continued running will help shed some of that, and maybe in a few weeks I can update with some better progress!