I Have Returned As A Runner

Wow. Quite a bit has changed in my life since my first post. Seeing as how that was nearly two years ago now, I think that's a good thing.

I am no longer working for a living. I am now a full-time student studying nutrition and dietetics. I will graduate with my 2nd undergrad degree in just a few more months and intend to go straight into a masters/internship program. I still haven't taken the personal trainer certification exam and I intend to over the coming summer. I am now certified as an Intrinsic Coach(R) which is a great coaching methodology for lifestyle coaching.

The main reason I have come back here is because of running.

I am now a runner.

This makes me so happy.

I decided soon after my heart attack that I wanted to run. I had tried running a few times in the past and didn't like it. It is hard on the joints and well, it's hard work! Being trained to lead healthy normal populations in safe group exercise classes, I had been taught that high-impact activities aren't necessary for a good workout. And this is very true... but I now believe that there is nothing that compares to running. Back then, I gave running a try, found it hard on my cardiovascular system and hard on my back and knees and I gave up after my first run.

After my heart attack though, it was more than just something I wanted to do. It was a way to prove to myself that having a heart attack did not define me and did not make me less of a person in any respect.

I started running in the beginning of 2008 at cardiac rehab while I was still in the phase where I wore an EKG to be monitored while I exercised. I took a treadmill test and killed it so my cardiologist gave me the okay to run in rehab. I was given heart rate that I was not to exceed while I ran on the treadmill. The first time, I ran for about 20-30 seconds before hitting that maximum heart rate and had to stop and walk for about 2 minutes before my heart rate was down enough that I could run again... for another 20-30 seconds.

Talk about starting at the very bottom level.

By the time I left cardiac rehab a few months later, I was running for intervals of about 4-5 minutes and walking for about 2-3 minutes to recover. I set a goal of running a 5k. I wanted to do it before my 1-year heart attack anniversary.

I tried... but I kept getting injured. For me, there was a long period of my body adjusting to my mind telling it that we were going to run. My body didn't like this so it fought back.

At first, my calf kept getting strained and I learned the value of good running shoes.

Next, my pirifomis muscle (deep in the glutes) acted up and I had to rest and strengthen this muscle. When I was ready to run again, I was not running as much as I was able to before.

Finally, I was running about 30 minutes straight at the gym on a treadmill (1.0 incline and probably 4.5-5mph) and I decided I was nearly ready to find myself a 5k. Hmmm. I thought that I should start running outside some since I'd heard it was much different that running on a treadmill (even with that little incline). I went outside too much too soon and had to fight through inflammation of my iliopsoas (hip flexors). This sidelined me again and took time to rest and strengthen the muscle before I could run again.

Just last weekend however, 2 years and 12 days after my heart attack, I ran my first 5k. That's 3.1 miles.

IT WAS AMAZING! I am hooked.

I had been running outside mostly for the last 5 weeks before the 5k - 3 times a week and usually around 2.5-3.5 miles and in anywhere from 38-42 minutes. My average was a 12 minute mile. I was elated to finish the 5k in 32:08 - a 10:22 minute/mile average.

I'm a runner. I can say this now. I run 2-3 times a week. I ran in a race. Huh. I'm a runner!

I've got my eye on a 5 mile run at the end of January and a 15k (9.3 miles) in early March. This morning, I outlined my training schedule and I am ready to tear this whole running thing up. I'm kind of floundering with my training schedule but for now it's based on a couple of reputable training plans I found online. It may change as I progress through it or learn new things from others around me who also love to run. (Wow, I just said I LOVE to run)

I have returned to this blog to document my training and my running. It's going to cover the specifics of my training including the exercise and the nutritional aspects and it's going to cover the mental aspects, from the hard times where I have to will myself to keep running with every ounce of my being to the times where I am flying on the air with endorphins and pride.

So, let's lace up. It's cold and rainy but I've got a LSD (long slow distance) run today and am setting out to cover 4 miles.