Every time I buy a new pair of running shoes (I'm not a runner), I begin to think that maybe I could start running--very, very slowly--on a treadmill at the gym.
I'm not a runner. I decide, though, that maybe a little jog would be a good thing to help me shed some pounds and relieve the boredom of the elliptical machine.
So I jog (not run) for 5 minutes on the treadmill, and then I walk for 5 minutes. Then run another 5. I read I'm supposed to build up slowly.
That was easy, I think. But that night and this morning, I suffer the pains of sore muscles everywhere.
I begin to consider that running might actually be doing something to me--a good something--as evidenced by the sheer pain of it.
Could it be true that muscle soreness offers the evidence that something good is happening? Something strong is forming within me (something I don't get from the elliptical machine).
It's something so strong that I might just take off down this road into that unknown future.
When I'm sore in my heart and mind--just like in my muscles--that's evidence that something good is happening. Runners view pain differently from the rest of us. They welcome it in a sort of crazy, intense, and joyful way.
They know it's evidence.
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Are you a runner? Any advice?
6 comments:
Couch to 5K, it's a free app and it builds you up slowly
So well said Heather! Pain lets us know that something is happening. It grabs our attention. God can use pain in our lives to bring about some good things too. We need only look to Him when it comes into our lives. He can take difficulties and turn them for good. Keep up the great work in your exercise routine! Who knows where it will take you!
Thank you for this post. It is exactly what I needed to hear today.
When it comes to running a little pain is to be expected. Don't over do it (as I too often do), and make sure to rest well.
I'm not so sure that 'heart soreness' like muscle pain indicates that good things are happening. Today I feel heartache from my sense of homesickness without knowing in some way where/who my earthly home is, and some sort of loneliness from a disconnect in an important relationship. It's good to know that I care deeply about this relationship that I can feel (near) literal soreness when things are not okay, but I don't think it's a general indicator of good things going on.
Maybe I misunderstood what you meant by when you mentioned being "sore in [your] heart and mind"?
I did elliptical for quite awhile, and now I run. Running is definitely the better exercise for me. Couch to 5k is great, and I have used that before. But since you can already run 5 minutes, you might just try continuing to do run/walk intervals as you build up distance.
Also, running outside is a bit harder, so maybe that's a challenge to build toward.
I encourage you to sign up for a 5k race. Having something to train for is great motivation.
I became a runner 3 years ago.
8 weeks ago I got Achilles tendonitis in both feet. The single worst pain I have ever experienced. Ever.
God has been teaching me to rest. In the midst of rest, my thinner thighs, smaller hips, and flatter tummy have disappeared. I worked SO hard for three years and watched lumps and bumps disappear. I experienced happier moods and the adrenalin rush of hard core exercise. It has been so hard, yet I am learning so much. (I know I butchered comma use there, Heather.)
Anyway, press on. Each step is success. I long and hope to return to running in the near future. The physical benefits are a bonus but the emotional and spiritual benefits keep me going.
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