When I picked up jogging two winters ago, it was a life-saving measure. The winters in Norway, well, suck. November and December are especially difficult since it gets darker and colder and darker and colder. The snow that’s good for cross-country skiing doesn’t arrive until January and I don’t have slalom skis. Hubby suggested that I start running to help my psychological state of mind in these early winter months.
He suggested, then cajoled and then he flat-out forced me out on the ice-covered sidewalks bundled up in thermals and fleece jackets. That night, we ran a scant 3km (1.8 mi). I pretty much thought I was going to heave my frozen lungs up on the living room floor when we got back to the flat. After more cajoling and eventually blackmail, we kept running through the winter. Our normal route was about 5km (3.1mi).
I have been running ever since. I tend to run less in the summer time, as I ride my bike almost every day. We live about 198m (650ft) over sea level and Downtown is literally DOWN. I can whiz to my job or some swank café in ca. 15 minutes and use a hefty 30-40 minutes to get back up to the top of the fjord. (heh. I said "fjord".) As a result, my running regime has held steady at 5km - 7km (4.3mi), for the past year.
All of that changed yesterday.
I can feel almost every muscle in my legs and feet, but I ran 12km (7.5mi) yesterday. For a girl who hated, and I mean loathed, to run in high school, this is a major break through. The trail we (Hubby + friend J + I) ran took us over asphalt, dirt paths and rocky and rooted terrain in the woods. Friend J is Mr Athlete and he mercifully slowed down a bit so I could keep up. He and hubby chatted amiably the whole time, while I concentrated simply on breathing. (In fact, I’m amazed they could hear one another over my labored panting.)
I don’t know when I’ll run that trail again, but it feels great to have done it at least once. I have this strange ‘sense of accomplishment’ tugging at my psyche that I'm not sure what to do with.
2 comments:
sweet...i went for a ride in Valley Green/Fairmount Park yesterday...i hate humidity but t'was a sweet ride.
As a former 150 lb cross country star, now 200 lb piece of ass, I applaud you. Unfortunately, as a former 150 lb cross country star, now 200 lb piece of ass, I am now hard pressed to get that sense of accomplishment you felt on your long run. Perhaps 3 miles on a treadmill is no accomplishment, however.
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