Life of a Runner: Adapting
Hey readers! This is a bit of a slow week, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. It’s the first week of school!
Monday
1.41 miles, 12:18 (8:44/mile)
I realized this morning that I’m going to have to get up earlier if I want to do 2 or 3 miles and get to work on time. I woke up at 6 and that still barely gave me enough time. Also, today work started at 7:45, but normally I get to school between 7:15 and 7:20, so this schedule definitely has to change. It was pretty humid this morning, but there was a slight breeze.
I did plan to run again after work, but today took so much out of me that the second run did not happen. I really have to readjust to working again and the schedule that goes along with it.
Tuesday
1 mile, 8:42
I did the one thing I’m not supposed to do this morning. I hit the snooze button on my alarm. So, I only did a mile. My knee really hurt a little during the run, and it hurt just while standing and walking around during the work day. School hasn’t started yet — and won’t start until Thursday — but these first few days are for professional development and for us teachers to get ready for the year.
I really want to do better on the running. It’s just hard because in the mornings I don’t feel as good and its humid, but in the afternoons I am exhausted and it’s very hot. I’ve got to figure out a routine again.
Wednesday
OFF
It was storming this morning, and then I just didn’t feel like running this afternoon.
Thursday
1 mile, 8:37
My stomach did not feel good this morning. I thought I might get sick during the run. It was dark and foggy. Actually, it was really foggy on my drive to school and I was worried there would be a delay. I feel really bad about how this week is going, but I can’t really do a lot about it. Some of it is weather stuff, some of it is physical stuff. Nothing to do but try again tomorrow.
The first day of school went well, though! It was quite the rush, but I was so excited to see all the students again.
Friday
1.5 miles, 12:39 (8:26/mile)
It was HOT! But I’m going to go back in time a little. Last night, there were horrible storms in the area. Lots of wind, crazy hail, and I think there was even a tornado. Long story short, I woke up and the sirens went off, so after the storm was over and I fell back asleep, I reset my alarm because I already knew I was not going to get up and run in the morning. Then, this morning, right after I ate breakfast and packed my lunch, I got an email saying school would be closed today. The building had some storm damage that made us unable to be there, so just like that, our second day of school was cancelled. Luckily, I didn’t have any damage at my house.
So, I laid around like a potato for the first part of the day, just reading and relaxing. Then I realized in the afternoon that I should get my butt up and run, so that’s what I did. I ran at around 3:00. Shortly after I got back from my run, by the way, I got a “heat advisory” notification on my phone. It was around 91 degrees but the heat index was 106. Despite that, I felt alright. I went a lot faster than I have been going, so that’s good. Yeah, the heat advisory said something like be careful how long you spend outside and drink plenty of water. Well, I was somewhat hydrated.
Oh my gosh, I’m supposed to be sharing running tips with y’all and sometimes I make stupid decisions, so definitely don’t base your running off of mine, if you’re thinking about doing that. Running Tip #1: Try not to run when there’s a heat advisory, or if you do, choose a shaded route. And if you’re going more than a mile or two, take water with you. Even on short three mile runs, my mom and I used to take water with us when it was over 100 degrees, or when the heat index was that high. Even if you don’t drink it, you can pour it on your head or your neck.
Saturday
OFF
Today was a complete lazy day and it’s definitely all my fault.
Sunday
1.03 miles, 9:02 (8:48/mile)
Wow. This week just kept getting better. I woke up this morning in immense pain because I guess I slept wrong and my neck hurt so bad. I could barely move without it hurting. So much for my plan of having a good run today. I didn’t even want to get out of bed because it hurt. Finally, I hoisted myself out of bed and went for a run, but as soon as I started I wanted to stop. Even moving my arm hurt. Seriously, it felt like that time I had whiplash from falling on an icy run. I did manage to get a mile in, though. As I kept going, it got easier to move in a way that didn’t hurt as much. Right now I’m icing it, though I’m not sure how much good that will do. This is one of those things that you just have to wait out.
Running Tip #2: Don’t run with whiplash. That’s not what I have right now, but it’s a good tip. It will hurt a lot.
I really hope this goes away in a day or two because this is no fun. You don’t realize how much you move your head until it hurts to do so. Well, I’m sorry for this lackluster week. The beginning of the school year is all about adapting, and so far that’s not working so well for me. I’m hoping I’ll do a better job this first full week of school. Thanks for sticking around!
— Morgan
