Marathon Man…

Last week, a couple coworkers decided to take a jog around the block, and asked if I wanted to join them. I was hesitant since I haven’t really jogged in a LONG time. Jogging just has never been my thing. One of the coworkers said they’d be going really slow, so it shouldn’t be a problem and although I was still hesitant, I agreed to join them.

I made it clear that I haven’t jogged in a long time and that I was far from prepared for it. Even my shoes were all wrong for jogging in. White Vans with absolutely no shock absorbancy. Nothing. So we started out at the gym, where we changed and then warmed up a bit with some stretches.

As we headed out the door and began jogging, I could immediately feel every step going through my legs. The shock of the ground hitting my foot was just coming through me full force. Now, for me… around the block meant, more or less around the building block. They were talking about the block that crossed the freeway. Ugh. This meant crossing an overpass, a couple of freeway ramps, up hills and down hills. Jesus. So halfway through, I start feeling like my lungs are going to rupture. At this point, I’ve all but given up on actually jogging and am just happy not to collapse running. I’d actually walk for a few blocks and then jog for a bit and then walk and then jog. It’s the only way I’d make it back to work.

After about an hour, we made it back to work, where we cleaned up and headed back to our work areas. Within minutes I could feel pain in the arches of my feet. I tried to walk and just couldn’t. So at this point I was starting to think I’d injured myself in some way. I took some pain relieving medication and after a few hours the pain subsided. I’m sure it was the fact that my shoes weren’t made for jogging in.

I also couldn’t work out for the next three days. This weekend I bought some decent running shoes that I’ll use for treadmill work and see how that goes. The right kind of shoes should make all the difference. Also, running five miles your first time out is probably not a great idea.

Anyhow, I have some new shoes that I can actually feel some cushioning on. So, I’m feeling better about these. Now to work on my breathing, which I also don’t seem to have down yet. Ugh.