Training Wheels Running

To answer Boo's question (posted on the last blog) . . .

The training is still . . . going. I am approaching the end of my third week now and am doing more interval training-- this time, following the schedule: 90 seconds running, 90 seconds walking, 3 minutes running, 3 minutes walking-- all repeated twice. I run three to four times a week-- this week, four times (assuming I go running after typing this).

A few discoveries from the past few weeks:

1. Running is kick-your-trash hard. Really, it is. Even though I'm only running intervals-- and 3 minutes is my max longevity so far-- it is still a challenge to just keep pushing through. My body seriously screams "WHAT are you DOING to me?" every time I make it run.
2. When my body yells at me to stop, my mind yells back stronger . . . keeping me going. This "mind over body" experience is actually quite uplifting and reminds me that I am stronger than I think. At least mentally. :)
3. When I am done with a run, everything seems clearer, my life seems more at peace, and the many stresses I have seem a lot more manageable. I think this relates back to #2 . Overcoming the difficulty of running teaches me that I can overcome the difficulties of life.
4. If you can avoid it, do NOT run on an indoor track. It is boring and makes the whole running process a lot harder. This is personal preference of course, but the one day so far that I've run on an indoor track was one of the worst yet. It's a mental thing, of course, but it seems to be a lot easier to run if you can look around and feel the zen of being "one" with nature. However, safety still comes first . . . so I think I can handle running on the indoor track on those few days when I don't have time to run until 9 p.m.
5. Running is a matter of commitment. I decided to be committed to running the 5k-- so committed that I went to Barnes&Noble and bought myself a running book (The Complete Book of Running for Women by Claire Kowalchik). I highly recommend it. I decided early on that if I'm going to do it, I'll do it all the way-- following the expert advice out there so I avoid burnout and injuries.

In the scheme of things, I've still got my running "training wheels" on, but I'm pretty excited to have gotten this far and I hope to keep pushing until I RUN that 5k . . . and then, run a 10k . . . and then, who knows. (I'm not committing to a marathon. Yet.) (-JoJo)