I’ve posted a couple of updates on how things are going with my running program. Although March still has some time, I can say that it’s shaping up to be another solid month, except for an experience earlier this week which was a giant fail.
I do all of my running at the gym, on a treadmill. For me, this works out very well. I don’t get bored. I find it challenging, and I don’t mind the drive and all that.
Still, I was tempted to give an outdoor run a try, and after my wife came back from her second one of the year and talked about how great it was to be outside, and just be able to go, I figured I’d give a small outdoor run a chance.
I knew it would only be a short run, around the neighborhood, but figured why not get out and try.
It ended up being a giant mess. I came back and spent almost half an hour coughing and panting and just miserable, before I finally recovered.
So where did I go wrong? Everywhere!
Running Fail
I was hasty – I was getting stuff ready to take out the garbage and decided right then and there that I’d go for a run. I didn’t change. Nor did I stretch. And, I didn’t have any sort of mental prep time. It was literally less than five minutes between the time I decided to go and when I was off. The whole thing was destined to fail.
- It was cold – When I’m inside, it’s a controlled temp, probably around 70 degrees. This works. It was probably only about 40-45 degrees out. My body just wasn’t ready for that.
- I had a cold – I’ve been battling a small chest cold. Trying to run while congested in cold weather was an awful idea.
- I did not pace myself – The treadmill is great to set a pace. Outside, not so much. I had no idea how fast I was going, and ended up pushing it way too hard.
- I downloaded an incompatible app – I like to run in intervals. I’ll run for a period of time, then stop for 30 seconds or so. In my five minutes of prep time, I went to the Play Store, typed in running, and downloaded the first app I found…which did not have the ability to program intervals, as many other apps do. Had I gotten the right one, I would have been able to program this in, and my phone would have alerted me when to start and stop. I probably could have also programmed in a desired pace and had it alert me I was going too fast. As it was, my winging it kept me going not only faster, but longer.
Lesson Definitely Learned
All in all, I could have done better, and I will. I think running outside could be great, and I definitely plan on doing it again, but everything will be different. Next time, I will try it on a warmer day, when I’m feeling better, when I have an app that can align with my running style, when I can pace myself, and when I’m a bit more mentally prepared. Maybe a lot more!
Readers, have you ever started off with something with the best of intentions, only to realize how unprepared you were?
Preparation is half if not more of anything you do. I used to run about 20+ years ago . I would get up early (5:30 AM) and run for about 30-35 minutes. In Los Angeles, it rarely gets below 45 degrees even in the winter, but I dressed for the weather. I stopped running because I was concerned about injury and have been bicycling ever since.
I have gone through bicycling phases in my life. Right now running is serving me well so I plan to continue.