Running, Breathing

I'm not a natural born runner. I don't know exactly what that means, other than to say that I know people who are and I'm not one of those types. You know, the gazelle-like person who can run for miles and miles at break-neck speed and it comes as natural to them as breathing.

I have hope that though I may not be naturally inclined to such gracefullness, speed, and endurance, I can aspire to it. And maybe, surprise myself at my ability. You see, I have a "creationist" mentality at heart, and believe you can create whatever you want for your life. So I'm not a natural born runner, but who says I can't become one?

I've always craved movement. I've exercised nearly every day of my life; active play and sports during childhood, and more formal, structured exercise later. My exercises of preference are yoga, pilates, swimming/water aerobics, and aerobics, in that order. Running comes in dead last. I think it's because I associate it with how I used to run, when I was 40 pounds heavier and my diet didn't promote the energy needed for long, endurance runs and running was like trying to push my body through wet cement. But now I run and I feel light. Energized. Alive. And maybe I'm repressing memories from my short-lived long-distance running track career where I came in last, EVERY time.

Grace, agility, and speed are not things that I've been blessed with. I have to work very hard at it, and it's taken years of doing pilates, yoga, and aerobics to feel mostly comfortable and confident moving in my own skin.

So I've recommitted myself to running again, and since I have the summer off from teaching my pilates and aerobics classes, I have more time to dedicate to it. I'm training for a half-marathon that I will run in August with some family members, so for the next while, I'll be cataloging my training schedule as well as what I'm eating. It seems a little egocentric to think that anyone would care to know how much I'm running, what I'm doing for training, down to the mundane details of what I'm eating every day, but perhaps some of you out there are curious (as am I) about my progress. If nothing else, I feel I need to do it as motivation to keep doing it, if that makes sense.

Part of my training is to eat more optimally (I'm vegan), focusing on eating smaller portions more frequently (something I'm horrible at doing) and not eating any added sugars, besides fruit. Because if I, a recovering ice cream addict, with the natural runner's speed of a sloth, can train and run a half-marathon, so can you!

Let the running experiment begin.

WORKOUT TODAY: 6 mile run w/ Jory--1 1/2 loops. 1 mile walk. 10 minute strength training w/ resistance band. 1 1/2 hours total