Well, week one is finished and I am alive :-) Our clinic started on Monday night and with great trepidation I entered the Running Room. There are a lots of folks milling about - the first two people I see are 2 women dressed to run that appear to be in their early 20s - slim, trim - no jiggle factor there. Please let them be here shopping for $15 socks! I hone in on a women that appears to be about my age & shape and looks as nervous as I feel. We instantly connect and others join us. We are all feeling excited, but anxious. Our two instructors seem great and soon put us at ease.
I knew ahead of time that the first week would consist of run 1 minute/walk 2 minutes. This didn't scare me. I mean how hard could it be to run for one minute? After all I do some pretty intense hour-long classes at the gym...oh such foolish thoughts! :-) We go out and are told to start running. Off I go smiling, but thinking in my head: "Wait, how am I supposed to run? Aren't you going to show me how? How do I breathe and run? Is there a method for this? By the 30-second mark I am huffing and puffing like a 95 year old with asthma. This was the longest minute EVER. But wait, the 2 minute walk is here and I feel sweet relief. That is, until the pain in my calves kick in. My breathing is still labored when we are told to run again (there is no way that was 2 minutes!!!). During the 2 minute walks I am forced to stop and stretch my tight calves. I cannot believe how HARD this is. Harder than BodyPump, BodyCombat and Kettlebell combined. Hard in a totally new and different way.
But by the last 2 cycles things feel better. Dare I say - a bit easier than at the beginning. I am at the back of the pack, but wait, I am gleefully passing the two young trim women that were not buying socks. They have STOPPED running and are walking during the 1 minute run, because of cramps!!!!! And I am still running :-) By the end of week one I am very sore but nothing that ice, Epsom salts, and ibuprofen can't fix. SUCCESS!!!!
Gotta go. I'm Running Late...Literally!
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Friday, March 9, 2012
Shopping Trip Run Amok!
With my Learn to Run program starting soon it was time to go shopping. This might be the least painful part of running - the clothes, shoes and accoutrements! I needed gear that would keep me warm/cool, dry, reduce the jiggle factor and shoes that would give me wings (I realize now that this was a tad optimistic!)
Number one on the list was running shoes (otherwise known as sneakers in C.B.) In this vital area I could not cheap out. After visiting the top two places in the city and having a gait assessment, my feet have been measured for...a size 9.5 !!!!! What the heck!! Even with some dependent edema, perhaps a size 9, but a 9.5???? These beauts resemble twin cruise ships on my feet - a veritable Queen Mary and Titanic (note plug for 100 year anniversary). Lets hope my feet don't suffer the same fate as the latter! Happily my vanity is appeased because the trim on my new shoes exactly matches my recently purchased half price North Face running jacket! Just putting on this gear makes me feel more like a runner! That is, until I start shopping for "the pants", then things go south quickly.
I couldn't wait to get a real pair of running pants. You know, the ones you see on the SERIOUS runners. The ones that make their legs look strong and sleek. I scan the racks searching for my usual large, but once found this size appears much, much smaller than out in my Reitman's Yoga Pants world :-/ The clerk is cheerily optimistic as I shimmy and wiggle my way in, not liking the muffin top spillage, but hey, from the front they're not too bad. Then I make the BIG MISTAKE of turning around for a rear view!!!!! Now I know why people wear those running jackets that are longer in the back than the front. Not to keep their bottom warm, but to conceal the dreaded jiggle factor!!! But, hey wait a minute, these are oh so comfortable and the fabric feels absolutely awesome on my legs. Eventually I leave the dressing room and finally the store with "the pants" in hand and the most expensive pair of socks I have ever purchased! I'm ready!!
Gotta go. I'm Running Late...Literally!
Number one on the list was running shoes (otherwise known as sneakers in C.B.) In this vital area I could not cheap out. After visiting the top two places in the city and having a gait assessment, my feet have been measured for...a size 9.5 !!!!! What the heck!! Even with some dependent edema, perhaps a size 9, but a 9.5???? These beauts resemble twin cruise ships on my feet - a veritable Queen Mary and Titanic (note plug for 100 year anniversary). Lets hope my feet don't suffer the same fate as the latter! Happily my vanity is appeased because the trim on my new shoes exactly matches my recently purchased half price North Face running jacket! Just putting on this gear makes me feel more like a runner! That is, until I start shopping for "the pants", then things go south quickly.
I couldn't wait to get a real pair of running pants. You know, the ones you see on the SERIOUS runners. The ones that make their legs look strong and sleek. I scan the racks searching for my usual large, but once found this size appears much, much smaller than out in my Reitman's Yoga Pants world :-/ The clerk is cheerily optimistic as I shimmy and wiggle my way in, not liking the muffin top spillage, but hey, from the front they're not too bad. Then I make the BIG MISTAKE of turning around for a rear view!!!!! Now I know why people wear those running jackets that are longer in the back than the front. Not to keep their bottom warm, but to conceal the dreaded jiggle factor!!! But, hey wait a minute, these are oh so comfortable and the fabric feels absolutely awesome on my legs. Eventually I leave the dressing room and finally the store with "the pants" in hand and the most expensive pair of socks I have ever purchased! I'm ready!!
Gotta go. I'm Running Late...Literally!
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Going the Extra Mile...
Seek to do good, and you will find that happiness will run after you...
~James Clarke
Once I make up my mind to do something I like to put measures in place that will cement my commitment :-) Registering for the Bluenose 5 km event, my first ever running event, was a huge step for me, but only the beginning. It now wasn’t enough to run only for myself; to have a goal to work towards. To continue to put one foot in front of another and never miss a training run. I knew instantly where I could find the inspiration to cross that finish line on May 20. It would come from being part of a very special team, running for a very special cause - Team Love4Gambia and our team captain Erin.
Love4Gambia is an ongoing fundraising campaign to support the Nova Scotia-Gambia Association’s HIV and malaria prevention, landmine injury prevention and child rights promotion programs in The Gambia, West Africa. Erin is a fellow nurse, a seasoned runner and courageous humanitarian that took on a monumental challenge in July, 2011. She (and her supportive team) ran across an entire African country in extreme heat and humidity, all to raise money for this worthwhile charity. A total of 424 km in 17 days!!! Yes, you read correctly. The equivalent of running a half marathon every single day!!!!
All of us that followed her progress were completely inspired. So now I'm not just running for myself - to prove that I can, but for a bigger, better purpose. To make a difference in the lives and health of children and youth a world away. Please visit my personal fundraising page and support me as I run for Gambia. No donation is too small!
Gotta Go... I'm Running Late...Literally!
~James Clarke
Once I make up my mind to do something I like to put measures in place that will cement my commitment :-) Registering for the Bluenose 5 km event, my first ever running event, was a huge step for me, but only the beginning. It now wasn’t enough to run only for myself; to have a goal to work towards. To continue to put one foot in front of another and never miss a training run. I knew instantly where I could find the inspiration to cross that finish line on May 20. It would come from being part of a very special team, running for a very special cause - Team Love4Gambia and our team captain Erin.
Love4Gambia is an ongoing fundraising campaign to support the Nova Scotia-Gambia Association’s HIV and malaria prevention, landmine injury prevention and child rights promotion programs in The Gambia, West Africa. Erin is a fellow nurse, a seasoned runner and courageous humanitarian that took on a monumental challenge in July, 2011. She (and her supportive team) ran across an entire African country in extreme heat and humidity, all to raise money for this worthwhile charity. A total of 424 km in 17 days!!! Yes, you read correctly. The equivalent of running a half marathon every single day!!!!
All of us that followed her progress were completely inspired. So now I'm not just running for myself - to prove that I can, but for a bigger, better purpose. To make a difference in the lives and health of children and youth a world away. Please visit my personal fundraising page and support me as I run for Gambia. No donation is too small!
Gotta Go... I'm Running Late...Literally!
Friday, March 2, 2012
Make A Run For It...
I've always found that when you take on a challenge - new diet, new exercise regime, etc. the more people you share it with, the more likely you are to stick to it - the whole accountability thing :-)
Decision to run made, I found myself at our local Running Room store reading the brochure on the Learn to Run Clinic. I had heard that this program offers support, education and that it builds up your running gradually. This sounds reasonable - a veritable support group for newbie runners. I like that. As I start to look around I find this place intimidating. The racks are filled with (very small) running clothes and strange accoutrements - gels, bodyglide, nipple protectors? What kind of store is this???
I turn to go, clutching the brochure (damp now from my sweaty palm) but encounter a clerk (tall, slim - definitely a runner). I find out that the next clinic is a mere 10 days away...and I ask the dreaded question: Can I learn to run at age 45? He tells me that the oldest person to complete the Learn to Run program was a 78 year old woman…
78!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In an instant all my excuses and doubts seem ridiculous, and this nameless, faceless women (33 years my senior) instantly becomes an inspiration. So much so that when I return home I register for the Bluenose Marathon 5 km event – before I can change my mind…
Gotta go. I'm Running Late...Literally!
Decision to run made, I found myself at our local Running Room store reading the brochure on the Learn to Run Clinic. I had heard that this program offers support, education and that it builds up your running gradually. This sounds reasonable - a veritable support group for newbie runners. I like that. As I start to look around I find this place intimidating. The racks are filled with (very small) running clothes and strange accoutrements - gels, bodyglide, nipple protectors? What kind of store is this???
I turn to go, clutching the brochure (damp now from my sweaty palm) but encounter a clerk (tall, slim - definitely a runner). I find out that the next clinic is a mere 10 days away...and I ask the dreaded question: Can I learn to run at age 45? He tells me that the oldest person to complete the Learn to Run program was a 78 year old woman…
78!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In an instant all my excuses and doubts seem ridiculous, and this nameless, faceless women (33 years my senior) instantly becomes an inspiration. So much so that when I return home I register for the Bluenose Marathon 5 km event – before I can change my mind…
Gotta go. I'm Running Late...Literally!
Monday, February 20, 2012
Running Out of Excuses...
Running, in my head, has always been an unattainable goal. Something that others did - younger people, those with more physical & mental strength than I have. I think that as I saw runners run, I saw the end product - thin, athletic types, running full speed in the midday summer sun - no way, not for me, I thought. In retrospect, underneath it all, I was envious. To be able to pull on your running shoes, load up your favorite music and take off. No gym required - only the open road. When I took my graduate degree I became friends with three fabulous women who were runners. I used to listen to their stories - their tales of half marathons, running hills, and this almost global camaraderie among runners. I dismissed it as never being possible for me...
How could I possibly run with my foot problems? At that time I was about 2 years post-op fasciotomy and calcaneal spur removal & still suffered foot pain. Plantar fasciitis, extremely flat feet that pronate, and bilateral calcaneal spurs. That sums up the state of my feet...However, at the end of February, 2012 I threw caution to the wind and decided to just try it. If I did everything I could to mitigate the feet issues, then maybe, just maybe I could become a runner...better late than never...
Gotta go. I'm running late...literally!
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