Here I go

So, I’m going to ignore the fact that it’s been almost a month since my last post and just jump right into things.

I don’t know if I ever mentioned that I sort of gave up on the whatever number chance I gave running.

But I did.

However, let it be known that I am giving running yet another chance, because it deserves it and I owe it to myself to show that I will be able to run a 5k someday. Then a 10k. Maybe a half?

Yesterday I bit the bullet and went to Ritchie’s, a store near me that specializes in running shoes. These are the shoes I had been wearing on my other running attempts, and they were killing my ankles.

$30 at the Adidas outlet. Comfortable overall, but not good for my weak ankles

I wish I had caught the name of the guy who helped me out, because even though I know there’s probably a 0% chance he reads this, I really appreciate his willingness to help a clueless beginner like me.

If you’ve ever been fitted for running shoes, you know that whoever is fitting you has you do several movements that show your arch type, and then they go from there. This wasn’t any different. I had no idea how weak my ankles were until I put on the first pair of shoes he brought out and jogged around the indoor track. I felt stable, an adjective I would not use to describe my previous runs. I only ended up trying on two different pairs, and if I had been with my mom that would not have sufficed. When I played tennis in high school, whenever I needed a new racquet or new shoes, we would usually go to multiple places and try out multiple products. As much as I tried to bring my mom’s mindset with me yesterday, it was clear to me that the first pair of shoes I tried on were going to be “the ones”.

I present to you the shoe that I’m pretty sure a good chunk of beginning runners have but are nonetheless phenomenal (in my extremely amateur opinion, mind you)

Asics GT-2150

Yes, these set me back more than my Adidas, but I believe it was worth it. I got a sweet student discount AND a free t-shirt, too, so…

Naturally, I couldn’t wait to try out my new shoes, so I set out for a run as soon as I got home. It was barely 45 degrees outside, plus it was windy, plus I couldn’t find my long leggings, so my getup was slightly ridiculous.

I also decided to try out a slightly different plan than the Couch-to-5k this time. It’s from an old issue of Runner’s World inspired by the New York Road Runners. It’s slightly more flexible than the C25K (has you run 2-4 times a week instead of a set 3) and as a result takes 9 weeks instead of 6. I’m totally fine with this – honestly I’m just trying to be able to run a mile without stopping. Then two. Then three…

Anyway, I wrote on my hand the plan for the first run because my short-term memory kind of sucks.

Run one minute, walk two minutes, repeat six times, then run one minute

Okay, I’m obviously not the point where I “like” running. I don’t know if I’ll ever be, to be honest, but I do want to get to the point where I can run multiple minutes without stopping. I was completely winded at the end of each minute yesterday, but it was my first run in awhile. I had a lot of great things going for me, too, which helped boost my spirits:

• good shoes (obviously)
• the temperature. My lungs weren’t as happy as the rest of my body, but they’d never really been exposed to large amounts of cold air coming in, so I can’t complain.
• playlist. The whole sequence took me about 20 minutes, and this playlist fit perfectly. “Defying Gravity” was a great song to end with.

Today, my shins are sore, but in a good way, unlike the other times I ran. I’m surprisingly looking forward to my next run (probably either tomorrow or Monday), although I know it might not be as good as the one yesterday. I am finally ready for that. I am ready to prove to myself that I will be able to run longer than a minute.

Here I go.