Thursday, January 03, 2008

STRUGGLING

I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later. I'm not terribly familiar with all the streets in this area, and so when I mapped out a 3 mile run Monday night and studied it for 30 seconds before heading out, I kind of knew I was asking for it.

I had a good speed, was enjoying some new tunes on my running mix (more on that later) and was probably at 1.5 miles when I took the wrong turn. It's not like I ended up in a bad part of town. I was only minutes away from my house; I just wasn't sure exactly how to get home. But, just like Forrest Gump, I just kept running until I got to a street I recognized, and then I ran home.

So last night I went running again, and had my route down fine only except for one thing: it was oh, I don't know, 12 degrees outside. Consequently, it was the worst run I've ever attempted. I had trouble breathing, my leg was hurting, and mid-run my iPod died. Just turned off. I had charged the battery all day so I think the cold made it quit. Stupid thing. AND, as I'm bundling up to head outside, I stepped on and broke my ear buds. But that's not so bad because I want a new pair anyway. Additionally, I was crazy uncomfortable: I'm not used to wearing two pairs of leggings - let me say that again in case you missed it, TWO pairs of leggings - two thermal shirts and a fleece on top of that so I was pretty uncomfortable. That + all the hills + shortage of breath cause it was so stinking cold... it was rough. Nights like last night are when I wonder what I have gotten myself into.

Boo, hoo, hoo. I'm trying to suck it up and not be a baby about it but I hate feeling like I failed when I run. It's hard enough for me as is, so I want to be happy and proud of myself that I'm at least out there, sticking to my training schedule, but when I struggle, I get frustrated. I'm going to see a doctor about my leg tomorrow morning. Hopefully it's just shin splints or sore muscles but I am nervous it's going to end up being a stress fracture or something. Stay tuned.

Anyway. As I said, I added a bunch of songs to my running mix. You wouldn't think Shania Twain's "I Ain't No Quitter" or "Defying Gravity" from Wicked or Hairspray's "You Can't Stop The Beat" would make for good running songs, but they are 3 of about 50 I pulled Monday because they are super upbeat. As much as I love Fergie and Justin, some of their songs slow me down. I need a fast tempo, with a beat I can literally run to. It sounds weird, but try ditching the bass-heavy cliche workout mix for a steady stream of really up-tempo songs, and you'll see what I mean. Others: "Down In Mississippi (Up To No Good)", "When God Fearing Women Get The Blues", "Omigod You Guys" (from Legally Blonde), "We Built This City on Rock n Roll", "When I Grow Up", "You Dropped a Bomb On Me" and "Fake Your Way to the Top" (from Dreamgirls) and more!

Now that Christmas has come and gone, please consider saving some cash to put toward the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society by way of my fundraising campaign. It's not for my benefit, guys.

4 comments:

  1. Please post your whole playlist of running songs! I'm always looking for new downloads. :)

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  2. Me too! Although, I still love running to JT. Fergie and yes, even JLo.

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  3. I just made a workout playlist the other day and would also like to see your list. :)

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  4. hang in there! you're doing fantastic. don't let one crummy run get you down.

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Oh goody!

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