Running

We all know by now that I've been running around with work and schoolwork and trying to see my friends, maintain some semblance of health, and all of that stuff. I've been writing about it daily. But today, I actually tried to go out running -- like the thing where you move your legs fast enough that you jolt your body off the ground and bounce up and down and get your heart rate up there into the exercise/aerobics zone.

I had this great idea that since I left my bike at work yesterday, I should just pack up a backpack and run the 3.5 mile UPHILL from Mt. P to AU. Wow. Good decision or bad decision? I think I'll have a better answer for that tomorrow when my legs let me know via soreness just how much shock I sent them into today. Running is more complicated than some people think. How many times do I hear people telling me that going out for a run will HELP my stress level? They actually don't know me. The thought of it alone sends me into a tizzy of stress.  I'll admit that in many cases, this is true, it will help me. That moment only comes if you've been preparing your body for it, though.

First things first, you need to be hydrated enough to not cramp up so badly that you don't want to run again. This proves difficult for the over-stressed, over-worked graduate student who is having a not-so-secret love affair with coffee...and when that isn't enough, dirty chai lattes. Second, you need the right amount of energy, which is a two-part qualification from food and from sleep. So, you have to have eaten the right foods the night before (I think my Indian shrimp vindaloo and spinach dinner MAY have qualified) AND that you have the right foods on-hand (like fruit or yogurt) to have something small before heading out, which I did not. In fact, I realized that I have one frozen package of my mom's crawfish etouffee in my freezer, and that is sadly (but also happily since I love crawfish etouffee) the only close-to-ready-to-eat food in my house right now. Then, you have to have had the right amount of sleep -- not only the night before, but for preceding nights as well. Definitely not meeting that qualification right now.

So, how did my efforts pan out today? Well, let's just say I get a B- for effort. I kept psyching myself up on the climb up the hill on Cleveland Rd chanting "you can do it"...but I was saying that right as I was starting to walk, and then, I was like "yeah, walking is better." But I did make it to work in one piece and without shin splints.  So, I'm taking the bike home tonight...but I may try this again.

What say you? Running is a no-strings-attached easy way to get high-impact exercise? Or is it fraught with demands that the over-stretched student cannot meet?  At least I've been sticking with biking!  I'm even up to 5th gear!