Running! Don’t ask me why I like running, I just do. For several months before Covid shut down everything, I was training for a half-marathon. I was following a training plan and had already registered for one in my area that was to take place in April or May of 2020. At the point where everything was cancelled, I had gotten up to running 8 miles without stopping. People in the running club I belonged to assured me that if I could run 10, I could run the 13.1 of a half marathon. Their point being that if I didn’t actually get to 13.1 in my training before the race, then I would be o.k. as long as I could get to 10. Well, the race was cancelled and I never got to 10. Being a teacher during the pandemic meant that I was incredibly busy and had very little free time. I tried in vain to keep up with my running habit, but I just couldn’t continue at the same pace I had before the pandemic. I eventually gained back almost all the weight I had lost during my training and all the health benefits (i.e. lower blood pressure and A1c) disappeared.
I always wanted to get back into running. There just was too many things that were great about it that I wanted back. The good blood pressure and blood sugar, the weight loss, the improved mood, all the things. But having a full time job and two years of grad school just would not allow me the time to consistently run again. I tried this past December. Went running a few times and vowed to make it a true habit again. But, when January came and the second semester of my grad school internship turned out to be worse than the first, I couldn’t continue to run. My physical health became the worst it had ever been because of all the stress and anxiety. I had to give in and allow my doctor to prescribe me Mounjaro, which was a good start for lowering my A1c and losing some weight.
Starting that medicine was a good jumping off point for running again. My New Year’s resolution is to run 10 miles without stopping. I’m not going to register for any half marathons, but I want to go farther with my goal than I did the first time I could legitmately call myself a runner. Now that grad school is done and I’m on a quasi-summer break until the last day of my job on June 27th, I have had more time to run in the mornings, so that’s what I’ve been doing. And I love it!
Again, I can’t explain why I love it so much. Maybe it’s the endorphine rush. Maybe it’s the feeling of personal accomplishment when I add another mile to my distance (I’m up to 4!). It could also be that feeling of fatigue in my body after I run. It’s not the fatigue that makes me think I need to lay down and nap, though that does happen sometimes too, but it feels like my body is tired from doing something that’s good for it. It worked hard and now it’s tired, but at peace. The happiness now could also be from running my first in-person race since 2020. In the midst of Covid, there were virtual races where you basically sign up online, run around your neighborhood, and receive your medal in the mail. Those are nice and all, but there’s something special about running with other people along a course. When there are groups of people cheering you on at each turn and people clapping and yelling for you when you are on the last little stretch right before the finish line. I did that this past Saturday. I’ve only been back into a steady running habit for about three weeks but I’ve already pushed myself to 4 miles, so the 5k on Saturday wasn’t too difficult. I tend to run faster when I’m around other people so I did wear out a little early, but I never stopped to walk and I’m proud of that. Proud and happy that I’m back doing what I’ve loved to do and can finally do it on a regular basis. Come hell or another global pandemic, I will not let this routine disappear again!
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