Saturday, August 7, 2010

The good news about the bad news

So the bad news isn't exactly "news", rather something I have known since my first Presidential Fitness Test in the 4th grade. I am a horribly slow runner. Despite attempts to get faster, there has been little to no improvement. But, I must enjoy the torture on some level because I have kept with it fairly steadily for the past 12 years or so. I embraced my snail's pace and let my aspirations of race glory go out the window.

To say I was a little disappointed when I actually got slower is a bit of an understatement. It really took the wind out of my sails. My long training runs are increasing in distance each week and it has been miserable. I have been running most weekday runs in the gym and doing the long runs on the weekends outside in the morning when it is still "cool". Problem is, it's not cool. I have self-diagnosed some sort of horrible lung disorder that is exacerbated in the heat. I call it "You are a Sorry Excuse for a Runner Disease". It results in this horrible gasping, asthma attack (but not asthma, according to the quack doctor I went to) breathing situation that is not at all pleasant. All of this at a creeping pace. It's probably for the best that I am not any faster as I seem to be able to injure myself (wiped out one week, gash on my chest the next from an ill-fitting top) without the additional speed to add to the element of danger. Maybe saying I "enjoy" running is a bit of a stretch. Maybe I tolerate it in the same way one tolerates dentist visits; something unpleasant but all the while necessary for overall health.

I was dreading my 6 mile run this morning for this very reason, so imagine my surprise when things actually went well! It was 70 degrees when I left and felt downright crisp out there. No breathing problems, not a ton of walking (except of some of the more killer Webster hills). I made it home a solid 30 minutes before the designated "It's time to panic, come find me" time I always give Rick.

So the bad news is I am a slow runner, but the good news is that I don't suck as much as I previously thought! How's that for a silver lining?

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