Last week I wanted to run outside after work. It was a gorgeous day and also the first day of autumn so I couldn't resist heading outside and enjoying a run before the weather gets too cold. I had run a little in the morning to warmup for a circuit workout I completed before work, but wanted to go for a nice run outside later on.
The first half mile My legs felt rusty and heavy which was to be expected after a day of sitting at my desk and a strength circuit in the morning. After another mile the feeling never went away. I had planned on running 4 miles but around mile 1.2 I just wanted to give up and walk home. I kept going, only to have to amend my planned route of northerly island due to a concert which didn't make me any happier.
Each time my foot hit the ground I felt like it was making a huge thud. I began to remember how springy and agile I felt just months prior which made me even more upset. My anger was amplified due to carrying around an extra 8lbs that I accumulated over the past 5 months because of stress and eating and drinking too much and not running enough to balance it out (along with clothes not fitting properly which is really what is causing my anger). And with each thud of my foot my weight gain and being out of shape were made painfully clear to me. If that wasn't bad enough- I wore my Nike shorts which aren't spandexy and snug and to add insult to injury, they started chaffing my legs with each step.
I finished the 5 mile run and was so ridiculously happy to be done. I even caught a glimpse of "ChicagoHenge" which didn't make up for the entirety of the sucky ass nature of this particular run, but it helped. Gaining weight, being out of shape, clothes not fitting, northerly island being closed, chaffing, & an early morning morning strength session which destroyed my legs made for one of the worst runs I've had in a while. It can only get better from here.
-Xaarlin
