born to run

okay, so my big run is on monday morning, bright and early.  well, actually, not that bright and early since i've become accustomed to getting up at 6:30, putting the earbuds in, and starting up my C25K app. the race doesn't even start till 8:05 - pretty damn late by comparison.

this running thing has been kind of crazy - i pretty much want to die while i'm running uphill with my shins aching and my calves screaming for mercy, but i feel so accomplished when i finish the hardest parts and get to the 5-minute cooldown.  and i find myself looking forward to putting in my half-hour sessions three times a week.  in fact, that first week i didn't even realize it wasn't a daily thing and did it four times.  it's also kinda nice to get up so early and really get the most out of my daytime hours.  plus, i've read here and there that despite the fact that it's not a huge calorie burner like other cardio exercises can be, running is a pretty good full-body workout that can result in toning from head to toe - including the belly area.  the abs are actually contracting and strengthening your core as you run, and god knows i could use some o'that.

but it's weird - when i was working full-time and squeezing in a workout at the gym during lunch hour, it would give me a great boost of energy that would take me right through the rest of the day.  maybe it's because i'm getting old, but now i feel like i'm extra tired now that i'm actually being active again.  on the days that i don't run, i'm turning on that damn jillian michaels 30-day shred DVD and sweating my ass off in the living room.  the bean finds it pretty funny when she comes in and eyeballs me laying on the floor when it's all over, in just a t-shirt and my underwear, trying to catch my breath and melting into a puddle of perspiration.  hey, why not - it's not like anybody's gonna see me.

i've always had a love/hate relationship with running, and i sure have never considered myself a "runner."  i have my good days and tons of not-so-great ones, but i can see why so many people really enjoy it.  it's kind of a mental thing, as you push yourself to go just a little farther and maybe a little faster.  the weird thing about me and running is that it's so hit and miss.  there are some days when i'm totally ON - i feel like i could just keep going and going.  and then on others, i'm barely at a jog and feel horribly winded and so over it.

please send lots and lots of "good running day" vibes my way come monday morning, yeah?  i'm gonna need all the help i can get to push through that 5.3 mile course.  i know a bunch of it will be uphill, and i hope i don't die.  or faint.  or anything else that will be super embarrassing, like lag so far behind that i end up getting scooped up by the bus to clear the bridge so they can reopen it to traffic.  that would be mortifying.

i do wish the teen were going to be home this weekend so she could be at the finish line with the hub and the bean, waiting to see if i make it or not.  it would've been cool to have a big ol' cheering section, because i'm a total attention whore like that.  heh.  but that's okay.  i'm sure she'll be cheering me on from wherever she is.  if she's awake, that is.

oh, and check out a little running present i bought for myself:

they're totally gonna make me run faster, right?