Never in my life have I had the yen to run. You know, other than the odd occurrence of running to catch a train/plain/automobile/thief/narrow window for a bathroom break. However, this past summer I was shoe-shopping with my dude and encouraged him to try on some barefoot-style sneakers. He is particularly fond of the color orange and when I found a pair in his size with orange accents I knew he'd at least give them a walk around the store. He slipped them on and it was like his whole body lit up. I thought they might be a hard sell, that he would argue against their light construction and thin soles. No. Love. Deep, instantaneous love. Naturally, it piqued my interest.
A few months later we were shoe-browsing again and I slipped into a lady pair of the same shoes my dude had snapped up previously. Oh my! Like ballet slippers but better for all the pokey-pointy prevention they provide. That is when the feeling struck. Prancing about in my new shoes, dancing up and down stairs I thought, "These might make it kind of fun to run..."
*shock face*
I didn't really know how the thought had happened. The more I thought about it the more attractive it was. I could take running shoes with me anywhere. I could run on vacation. It would make me fit, it would work different muscles than my other fitness pleasures (mostly dance and yoga). The biggest hurdle I saw in my path was that it was already deep into the fall and I live in Minnesota. Getting an itch to try running when you live in one of the coldest states in the US on approach to winter is not, well, practical.
My weird salvation came in the form of a friend making casual mention of the Metrodome hosting running nights on Tuesdays and Thursdays through the winter. For one dollar you can run around the concessions level in relative warmth and comfort. Excellent. Next, shoes. I picked up an inexpensive pair of Saucony runners from the nearby Marshall's. While I wholly believe in the idea that you should restrict running shoes to running alone, I do not believe that investing a heap of cash into a pair when I have no idea if this idea will stick. So now, armed with shoes I downloaded the
Couch to 5k app for iPhone and set off for the Metrodome.
I admit that my first run was hardly a run. I walked the majority of the time. I stopped often to stretch. A lot. When I first downloaded the app I thought, "Great! This sounds super doable," and that my goal would be as the program laid it out, a 5k. Now, however, I see that my first goal is to get up to the level that I can follow the first workout. My shins and calves were on fire. I kept tugging at my pants and wishing my breasts would stop flopping around. But, at the end of it, I felt, good. I was sore and ached from shoulder to foot but I felt like I had
done something. I felt quietly energized. I wanted to be able to do better. It's been awhile since yoga made me feel like that. I miss it terribly. Tomorrow I go back to the Metrodome for another try.
First, the announcement of a small victory. I burned two pounds this week! I am lucky to have access to one of those doctor-style scales at work. I confess to stepping onto the scale at the gym and being dismayed by the inaccuracy of its readout. The scale at work can show me cleanly and clearly measurements as small as a quarter pound. I am a believer of using the same scale consistently.
Second, I have a lust for one of these chairs. They come in a few different styles but, ultimately, I want a ball chair. I have noticed that my circulation is very affected by sitting in my office chair all day long. I have a life-long (bad?) habit of sitting with my legs folded beneath me. You may recall I am a mere 4'11"... my feet do not ordinarily touch the floor in most chairs. So, I can sit with my feet tucked or propped and reach all the things on my desk appropriately, or, I can lower my chair so that my feet rest comfortably on the floor and feel like a child trying to reach across my desk. My hope is that with a chair like this one, I will improve my circulation, engage my muscles more actively and also sit at a workable height at my desk. Have you tried one? Wanna tell me all about it???
