Skip to main content

Running is Hard

Running IS hard. I was reminded of this last night during my tempo run. My calves were still sore from Tuesday's speedwork and my feet felt heavier than usual as I plodded along on the treadmill. I worked for all five of those miles.

No matter how long you've been doing it or how fast you are, there are still days when running is hard. I think the fact that running is hard is one of the things that unites us as runners. My husband has commented more than once on how strange we runners are - that we share every detail and statistic about our runs, that we are loud and proud about being runners, that we have this community of people we have never met but consider friends.

While running is something almost anyone can do, being a runner is a totally different thing. A hill isn't just a hill when you are a runner. Seconds are more than just seconds to a runner. "The touch, the feel of cotton" has a whole different meaning to a runner.

But as hard as running is, there is nothing like the feeling it leaves. I drifted off to sleep last night with my runner's high still flowing through my blood.

Comments

  1. Great post! So true- all of it. Running IS hard. The running community is awesome! And running is worth every ounce of difficulty. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. so true!! I think one of the reasons that I love running is it's always a challenge

    ReplyDelete
  3. Awesome!!! I love the runner's high!! Have a wonderful weekend :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great post and I totally agree. I haven't done a tempo run yet and don't really look forward to it but I know once I'm done with it I'll be feeling pretty good.

    ReplyDelete
  5. so so true! I'm still sore from my speedwork Wednesday, and was considering putting today's run off until tomorrow. I know I want a rest day before my 10-miler Sunday though, and your post inspired me to get my butt out there and remember that I like this BECAUSE it's hard!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Nice post!

    Running is hard but so worth it. The rewards I feel from getting out to run last and carry a happier Shelly through her day...good days and bad days. I am able to greet (more often) with a smile when I have gotten to run! It's like magic!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I always like feeling the soreness that is a reminder of a workout or a race that I totally killed!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Isn't that the truth! Great post!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I needed to read this today. I'm a brand spanking new runner...just starting out and I'm old (43) so this has been a process. I did my first 1.5 miles today and was thinking "This is not getting any easier. What am I thinking?" But when it was all said and done there was no denying the feeling of accomplishment.

    ReplyDelete
  10. It is hard....but I have had the BEST 8 days straight of running. Now I will be in Colorado and high altitude and on a DREADMILL... Now that will be HARD.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Well put! Yes, us runners are a unique/crazy bunch!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Great post! Very true. I just found your blog, and I look forward to following it. Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  13. So very, very true!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. It IS hard! And yet we run...and run...and run some more! Your hubby is right- we are a strange bunch. Ha ha!

    I ran 5 tempo miles today around Disneyland. Crazy how a change of scenery will make you feel like you have new legs!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

I love your comments! They make my day, so be sure to let me know you stopped by. And I always try to respond to your comments, so let me know if you have any questions for me or if there is anything you want to see on here!

Popular posts from this blog

Carpet Burn On My Butt (and a giveaway)

After two lame, pathetic, lackluster weeks of running, I woke up excited to run yesterday. And today, I wore my running clothes all morning in anticipation of my nap time run today. Even in spite of sore glutes and tired quads from getting in some P90X Core Synergistics last night, I couldn't wait to get moving on Millie. I am a planner. Today I had a plan to get my run in while my girls slept, and my day was organized accordingly. I am also a creature of habit. The first thing I do when I roll out of bed every single day is make my bed and my girls' beds. If I do something else first, it throws off the entire morning. I am a creature of habit when it comes to my running routines as well. There are a few things that differ depending on whether I am running on Millie or outside, whether my girls are asleep or not, and whether or not they are joining me in the jogger. Yet, no matter when, where, how far or with whom I run, some things are always the same. My hair goes into a pony

I wasn't sure going in...

Yep, I'm checking in. Why? Because I did something completely out of my comfort zone that I wanted to share with you. Last week I went to a place near Salt Lake called Dexa Body, where I got a DEXA Scan. For those unfamiliar with what that is, I asked Google to help us out:  "Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry  ( DXA , previously  DEXA ) is a means of measuring  bone mineral density  (BMD). Two  X-ray  beams, with different  energy levels , are aimed at the patient's  bones . When  soft tissue   absorption is subtracted out, the  bone mineral density  (BMD) can be determined from the absorption of each beam by bone. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry is the most widely used and most thoroughly studied bone density measurement technology." Since that is pretty medical sounding, here's my take. A DEXA Scan is a tool to measure your total body composition. It specifically breaks down the regional composition of your lean and fat tissue. It gives a fat distribution

Social Media: Some good, a lot of bad, and way too much ugly

There are a lot of good things that come from social media. We can connect with people we have lost touch with. We can unite as a group (runners!!) with a comment interest. We can promote a good cause. Sadly though, what social media does best is makes us feel bad about ourselves and makes us feel negatively towards others. This isn't just my opinion, although I can unquestionably support the truth behind this based on my own experience. I have spent way too much time feeling bad about myself as a result of comparing myself to others based on their Instagram or Facebook versions of themselves. And there are several people I have started feeling negatively about or have become completely annoyed with because of their IG and FB posts. It isn't just me though. There are actual studies that can back me up on the negative impact social media can have. I have read dozens of articles reviewing many different studies that show the overwhelmingly negative (vs. positive) effec