I’ve never been a fan of running. (That’s an understatement.) We have a small, outdoor track near our house, so I attempted to get into it this summer, but by about the second lap, my legs would start itching fiercely. Not to mention that it was 95 degrees from June through September. Don’t get me wrong, we had a beautiful summer, but it was a bit too hot for outdoor running.
So I called it quits and went back to using the elliptical at the gym. Well, about six weeks ago, I decided to give it another try, this time on the indoor track. I wanted to prove to myself that I could successfully go on a run without experiencing the terrible itch.
Even after a few runs, the itch wasn’t going away. I would stop as soon as it started and rarely went more than half a mile. Mr. Handsome encouraged me to keep trying. “Just push through, and it will get better,” he assured me. “Keep your mind focused on something else.”
I decided to give it a few more tries, and rather than stop at the first sign of discomfort, I just focused on the music I was listening to through my headphones and willed myself to forget about the terrible itch. After pushing through on two runs, I was cured!
As an incentive to keep going, I found a great deal on a pair of New Balance running shoes in my favorite color. It’s amazing how your perspective on running can change when you have pretty shoes to look down at. It really is all in the shoes.
Not sure how long this hobby will last (check back with me in six months), or whether I will be able to increase my distance past a mile or two, but for now, I’m pretty psyched about it. What are your thoughts on running?