Running up that hill...

Welcome to my semi-fit blog. I wanted somewhere to chronicle my progression in running and maybe share a little bit about what it feels like to start from nearly the bottom. The blogosphere has proved to be a massive inspiration to me, it has given me the ability to read about other women pursuing (and achieving) some major health goals. Currently I am using Google reader to keep up with a couple dozen other young women who are interested in running, healthy eating, staying fit, etc. To date, I have completed a 5k running program with the help of a local running group organizer. Two weeks ago I ran in my first 5k ever! And this past weekend, I ran in another one! My times for them were 32:19 and 32:35. I am ok with those times, I feel like I tried my best and my goal is to come in under 30 minutes by the end of the summer. I tend to set unreasonably lofty goals (and then get disappointed when I don’t meet them), so this is my attempt at being a little more realistic. The 5k this weekend was a run to support a local organization called the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester. This is the only race in Rochester exclusively for women. Of the 1,231 runners, 49 of them were actually breast cancer survivors, awesome! If you are reading this and wondering why I am calling this “starting from the bottom” when I have already met my 5k distance goals, let me back up for a second. Truthfully this isn’t the bottom: The bottom was in February when I joined that running group I mentioned above. It was a twelve week running program comprised almost completely with people who were new to running. In fact, the first two weeks we started by just walking a half hour at a time! I should add at this point that I live in upstate New York. February in upstate is pretty brutal. We spent almost the first month of our meets in 20 degree weather! Another reason I am writing this blog is to share my experience with (drum roll please) my first running injury! I don’t know what it is yet, but this Sunday was my official last run for the next several weeks while it heals. It is a strange pain on the inside of my shin. My physician sent me right away for an ultrasound to make sure it was not a blood clot (it was not), now I am attending physical therapy, and then sometime this week I am getting an x-ray to make sure it is not a fracture. I first felt this mystery pain mid last month. I should have stopped running right away, but I was too excited to run in my first 5k (In addition to setting overly ambitious goals, I am also very stubborn). I know if you feel something, especially if you even think it is a stress fracture you should stop running. Do as I say, not as I do. When I realized this was something that required me to sit out for a while, I had a weekend of misery. I was depressed. It is amazing how quickly running has become a part of my life that I really look forward to and enjoy, not to mention the social aspects I got from running with my group. I am feeling more ok with waiting for the injury to heal after reading about lots of other bloggers experiencing injury and having to wait patiently to start up (slowly) again. The next running group starts in 37 days. Assuming it is not a stress fracture, I think that it will (hopefully) be enough time to heal. So for the next month I will do anything I can to maintain my fitness without putting a lot of impact on my leg. Wish me luck!