Over the past five or so weeks I've taken to jogging. I've been doing it fairly regularly and get out a few times a week. The first time I did this I wanted to do two laps around my apartment complex. This is right around two miles. I remember getting through the first lap okay, but I needed to walk for parts of the second. I tried to keep the walking at a bare minimum. Just enough to ensure I wouldn't have a heart attack. The next morning my legs were in a good deal of pain. But what surprised me was when I tried it again about a week later. This time I was able to get through the two laps much easier and didn't have to stop to walk. The amount of improvement between those two times was enough to make me want to see how far this could go.
For the most part I still do two laps, and I try to get them in at around 20 minutes. So ten minute miles. I have no idea how this compares to others, but it's what I shoot for. Just yesterday I was able to do three laps and got them in at around 29 minutes. And that was with stopping to tie my shoes during the first lap. So I'm still improving which is good. That was one of the reasons why I started. I wanted to get my stamina up so that when I play tennis I can go strong for a much longer time period. The time it takes me is not my primary concern, but it is fun trying to sprint just a little longer or set a slightly faster pace. I would have prefered to get this exercise from tennis itself, but unfortunately I do not play often or long enough to get much improvement.
When I started jogging I would throw on whatever old shoes I had lying around. This caused blisters and my legs hurt a lot. The blisters I assumed were from using improper shoes but the leg pain was more troublesome. I think I felt more confident of my leg strength and assumed the shoes were causing the pain. But in reality I believe I just hadn't as much leg muscle as I thought and I needed to build it up. So then I started adding much more protein to my diet. Now, after yesterday's three laps, my legs don't hurt nearly as much anymore. Even when I do a sprint at the end I can't get them hurting as much.
Last week I decided that maybe I am making a habit of this and that I should get a proper pair of shoes. So I went to a local running store with my old walking shoes. I brought my old shoes so the clerk could look at the wear on them and get an idea of how I walk and run and then know what sort of running shoe would best suit me. It was a pretty simple process and before I knew it I had a pair of shoes. There was a guy next to me getting shoes too. His clerk asked him if he was running for a cause. The guy said he was running for St. Jude's and that he was doing 30 miles. It sounded like he meant that in one day, but I've since been told it is probably 15 miles spread over two days. Either way, at the time I couldn't jog for 30 minutes, so 30 miles seemed and still seems mighty impressive.
The new shoes have prevented the blisters but my legs still get weak so that's why I feel I need to get them stronger.
I've been using the jogging to improve my tennis but there is another reason why I've been jogging. Basically it has to do with balance. I don't exercise that much, and have a rather sedinatary job. So jogging regularly has been one concrete way I could bring exercise into my life. I feel there are a number of things people need to have a balanced lifestyle. Work, hobbies/relaxation time, spiritual growth, exercise, socialness/friends/ and volunteering. Right now my two areas in need of greatest improvement are exercise and volunteering. And those two lacking areas have been bothering me for sometime now. The jogging helps, but I want to add more strengthing, so the other area of exercise I want to add is rock climbing. First off rock climbing rocks. It is a ton of fun. Also rock climbers have the body of David so that's pretty cool too. As for volunteering, well that's coming.
Finally, and in a most fitting way, let us all wish WAM a good run later this week. She's going to be in a 5K.
Monday, August 8, 2011
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4 comments:
Thanks, Greg! 3 miles in 29 minutes... that is great! You already would be beating me in my 5ks. My best time so far is 29.06. So we could run a 5k "together" and you wouldn't need to worry about lagging behind. Seriously, let's plan one for Illinois!
Also, good call on the proper running shoes. I've learned that I get knee pain when my shoes are too worn out. It always goes away when I get new shoes. That's how I learned that the shoes really do make a difference and are worth an investment.
And the invitation still exists if you want to run with me this Saturday in WCH!
I also might add: 5ks are where exercising and volunteering come together. The registration fee generally goes to a good cause. Saturday's race is for the YMCA.
Ha ha ha! If I were actually involved in the running of the race, as in helping the organization of it, that was a wonderful pun, then I consider that volunteering. However, giving away my money doesn't count. I have to volunteer my time and not just my funds.
I think this is understandable. While supporting worthy causes finacially is a great thing and should always be encouraged, it never really feels quite the same as actually taking the time to help out in a physical capacity.
I agree with you, that real volunteering is helping get something done. But some 5ks ask you to raise money, not just pay your $15 fee. So you could ask people to support your run and spend time raising money - those people wouldn't be donating to charity if you weren't actually running a race. But I agree - go work in a soup kitchen or animal shelter!
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