runnin

On top of my yoga practice I have also started running this week. Nothing wild. Just a few miles.  Running and I have had a tumultuous relationship.  I am not one of those people that gets a high off a good run.  I usually just feel exhausted and in pain.  When I was home over winter break this year my brother had read Born to Run. I had heard a great deal about the book, and had done a bit of research into the barefoot running craze.  I must say, I was not convinced.  I think I greatly offended my brother when I told him I thought it was just a fad.  He told me that my inability to run was just in my head.  That if I set my mind to it I could just go out and run 10 miles if I wanted.  No, pretty sure I can’t.    

I rarely acknowledged when I was little that my asthma affected my life.  Until recently I either denied having it entirely, or claimed it was only a problem when I was ill.  While it’s true that it does hit me a lot harder when I have a cold, there is more to it than that. It really does affect my activity. There is no reason a healthy 20 something year old shouldn’t be able to run a few miles.  I struggle more than someone who works out as much as I do should. 

About a year ago I was training for a sprint triathlon.  While that may be no big deal to some, it was a huge goal for me.  I was in the gym twice a day, every day, swimming, running, biking and lifting.  After H1N1 turned bronchitis (thanks asthma) turned sinusitis, turned freak allergic reaction turned meningitis I was out of commission for the tri and again fell into a rut of not working out.  I always go in spurts.  I have played just about every sport there is to play, for a season.  I haven’t found anything (until yoga) that I really loved doing.  One thing I did love at the end of my tri training was the way I looked. 

I am once again going to train for something. And hope that I don’t break and ankle or get pneumonia before it.  There is a marathon on the coast in the fall that a few friends did this year.  Maybe I’ll humor my brother a little bit and see about those 10+ miles he seems to think I can do.  And maybe a little struggle is worth the killer legs.  I'll give it a shot.