Just as I was getting comfortable with my exercise routine, I decided to mix things up a bit, and have started to include running into my routine. I know I’m not a natural runner. I find it somewhat boring, and I’m either out of breath, or I’m suffering pain in my legs or have a stitch. Outside of the first 2 or 3 minutes, it’s just no fun. So, why have I introduced it then? Comfort zones are no good for anyone. Ok, that’s probably too broad a view, as comfort zones are very nice to have. However, when you are driving change, comfort zones should be avoided. Nothing changes in a comfort zone. With my weight work, I am in my comfort zone. I do try to challenge this each time I’m in the gym, either by changing the reps I perform here and there, or mainly by increasing the weight I’m moving whenever it becomes comfortable. The aim is to drive for difficulty, to the point of near failure. This is where the growth comes from.
So, back to running, which I have done and will now do on a regular basis. After my first run, I felt tired, a bit sore, but otherwise ok. Several hours afterwards I had pain in one of my hips, and the following day, general discomfort all over. I’m delighted that my clunky running style, which has me hitting the floor hard on my heels, along with my age, is making my life difficult. I’ll try to correct come of these issues by going into a running store for some gait analysis, and get some trainers which help me run in a less clunky way. That will hopefully mean that I can avoid most of the pain and discomfort.
There are other forms of exercise I could do instead of running. Something I enjoy more maybe. However, cycling, cross trainers and whatever else I’ve tried in the cardio realm don’t push me as much as running does, and don’t make me feel like I’ve achieved as much. I want to get better at it, regardless of how much I dislike it. I’m hoping that over time, I go from hating running to possibly finding it “ok”.
