Check to see if hell froze over

I have a confession to make. For anyone who knows me, this will be pretty surprising. I kind of liked my run tonight. I don't want this to get around, so don't tell anyone, but it felt good. I was in a groove. Maybe something in me just clicked. I don't know. I don't think I'll ever become a distance runner, but a mile or two I can handle, and it's really not the worst thing in the world. In fact, I prefer it over death, which is a definite improvement from before.

Woo Hoo!!!

Well, I've worked really hard this week. I've been watching what I eat really closely, have not cheated at all (starting Monday), running every morning, started Turbo Jam on Wednesday, doing the push-up challenge.

And . . . I've lost 3 lbs this week! I'm so glad. I was really afraid that after all that I wouldn't have lost anything, or worse yet, gained. I know the scale isn't everything, and it's a good thing to eat healthier and work out, but I still want it to pay off. It makes me more motivated to keep going.

I've kept up with the running, and my leg actually doesn't hurt as bad, thank goodness. I started listening to music yesterday morning with my run (I don't know why I didn't think of it before then), and it makes it slightly better. It's still hard to forget that I'm running, or that every part of my legs hurts, but at least the pain is put to music now.

Sore!

As each day passes, I'm getting more and more sore. I'm pretty sure it's from the running in the morning. When I was a sophomore in high school, I started the track season (after doing track in 9th grade), and I pulled a muscle really bad in my right thigh. It was so bad that I had to drop out that year. I tried again the next year, but as soon as I started with the sprinting, the same muscle started hurting.

So now I'm having the same problem. It's not as bad as before, thank goodness, because at that time I could barely walk, but as each day passes I can feel it hurting more and more. I've had the pain flare up at times when I'm playing softball and running the bases, but that's usually just for a couple hours and it goes away. This pain is constant and growing.

So, I'm trying to decide if I should keep up with my daily run or just run a few more times before the triathlon. On the one hand, it gets me exercising in the morning, and I need the practice. And I'm afraid that if I skip a couple of days I won't get back into it. On the other hand, if my leg keeps getting worse then I'm afraid I won't be able to do the triathlon at all.

On another note, while I was running this morning, my legs (mostly my calves) were killing me to the point where I wondered how I was going to make this work. How in the heck was I going to be able to get on a bike and go for six miles when my legs felt so bad? So after I ran I grabbed my bike and rode a mile. It wasn't bad at all, and actually, the more I went the better they felt. They were still tired, but the bike riding kind of stretched out the muscles, much like walking does after a run. So, if I can get rid of this thigh pain, I think I'll be okay.

We'll not think about the swimming portion for now.

Getting Stronger

Today I upped my run to a mile. For any runners out there, that may seem like the shortest run ever, but for me (a person who hates running with a passion) it's pretty darn good. The only thing is, the right leg of my shorts always rides up, and my right calf always hurts more than my left. I wonder if I'm running funny. I need to get different shorts that won't ride up, too.

I've also been doing my push-up challenge. Last night, after doing five sets, I did 81 push-ups total. Regular push-ups, too, not girl push-ups.

Now, if only I could fit in any of my pants . . .

Swimming

I'm trying to train for the triathlon, and I haven't had a chance to get to the pool yet. I'm a little worried about the swimming portion. I need to get there at least a few times before then. I'm doing a lot of push-ups to strengthen my upper body, but I'm not sure how much that'll help me swim any kind of distance. I'm a little skeered.