So last night, after a rather uneventful, gloomy, rainy day, Mike and I decide to go jogging. In addition to it being gloomy and rainy, it was then also dark. Normally I would protest, as even though I'm a native Seattleite, I've never gotten used to cold and rain--still hate it. However, the thought of the exercise spreading warmth through me, the same way a nice mug of hot chocolate does, put a smile on my face. I figured if there's anything I could enjoy in the rain, especially after dark, it would be jogging.
Face-sweater?
Sure enough, the rain pouring down my face as I ran was refreshing. It also made me feel like I was working harder. I'm not a face-sweater. ...Face-sweater? Hmmm that didn't come out like I wanted to; it sounds more like a robber's mask, or a sweater someone's grandma knitted Santa's face onto. No, what I mean is that during physical exertion I sweat from my armpits and back. That's usually all the sweating I do, so I don't get the dramatic Gatorade-ad style dripping face syndrome (especially not in bright green), which I typically associate with someone who's really pushing themselves. The rain provided that illusion for me. Anyone I passed last night must've thought, "There goes a brave, hardworking American." Okay, maybe not.
But the rain also adds to the idea that I'm in the midst of a cinematic masterpiece, running towards my long lost love, or away from a serial killer. A little imagination is always good for your endurance, I think. Anyone I passed might also have thought, "Go! Keep going! Don't stop! You can achieve your dreaaaammm!" They probably stopped right there on the sidewalk and applauded, tears of admiration streaming down their faces and mixing with the cool September rain. Or, you know, not.
I've noticed, though, that running at night seems to be harder on my lungs than daytime running. It must be the cold air, or maybe it's the dampness, but I get lung cramps instead of side cramps or anything else. I can push through them, though. I have to stop for side cramps, but the lung pain is just a nuisance. I also get an increased presence of the lovely cheese grater effect in my esophagus, or wind pipes, or whatever. I'm going to have to figure out how to remedy this, as fall and winter are a-comin' and nothing--including my sobs and futile attempts at harnessing the sun and pulling it closer--is going to stop them. I'm certainly not stopping my running just because it's cold out. It's going to be a game of chicken between me and the weather. Who caves first? Stay tuned.
Had a good run this evening. I've been having some housing-related frustrations that I won't really elaborate on here, but with school starting in just a couple of weeks, it's gotten me really stressed out. I decided that the best remedy, besides doing expensive things that I would ordinarily do (like go out for food or drinks, or browse around clothing stores), would be to go for a long run.
This of course made me think of all the dramatic running scenes in various movies. I thought this video was pretty cool. It was kind of like me, except I was running to The Grouch and Eligh, I was not in spandex, and I was not in a marathon. Okay, so it wasn't like me at all. I was by the water, though!
Or maybe it was more like this:
(Just wait for it, the song takes like a minute and a half to really start.) Maybe someday I'll have Mr. Gump's endurance.
Anyway, I went on the trail that Mike and I took three days ago. It's really close to my house, and it's flat and relaxing, with a great view of the water. I started running from the same spot. I got a little tired before I'd even made it to our original stopping point, but I just kept slowing my breathing when it got too labored. I kept closing my eyes and breathing, focusing on the music. I pushed through, and the struggle went away. It was easy to keep going. It felt so good. I made it the extra half-mile or so I needed to get to Boulevard Park (which is absolutely beautiful, by the way). I had jogged about 1.4 miles without stopping or even slowing down! This was a new feat in itself. When I slowed upon entering the park, I experienced what I think is the famed "runner's high."
It was basically a headrush that made me smile. My legs felt extremely heavy and exhausted, moreso than when I had been running. But my breathing slowed to normal in just a minute or two, and I felt relieved from the exertion, instead of just fed up and disgusting like I tend to feel after runs. I must be making progress all the time. I felt better about what had been stressing me out, and I was motivated to keep going. I went out for a long, dramatic, "I'm running away from my feelings" movie montage run: 1.4 miles wasn't going to cut it. So I circled the park on a slow walk, pausing at a dedicated bench. Unfortunately the memorial plaque had a damn typo on it (really? You can't get its/it's straight for a commemorative bench?!) so I had to get up quickly. I cannot deny the editor in my bones.
When I'd made the loop of the park, I started up jogging again. I passed a lot more people on the way back than I had on the way to the park. I got to be the jogger passing everyone on the trail! I'm meeting new goals all the time... Without fail, they would all turn their heads back to see me about 2 seconds before I went past. I don't think I imagined a look of congratulations on an older man's face--he seemed to be glad to see a college-age person staying active. I feel like a lot of college students in Bellingham jog or bike or go to the gym on a regular basis, but I was glad for the glance anyway.
I've used the gym at WWU many times, but I don't think I've ever really pushed myself there. Running on an elliptical machine and running outside are two very different things--and ellipticals never get me to break a sweat. They really don't. I'm not sure what it is, but I just can't get a good workout on those things. I never breathe as hard as when I'm really running.
I made it all the way back to my starting point without slowing or stopping as well, making a total of about 2.8 miles run! It's only been 4 hours and I'm already sore, so I hope tomorrow can be a "sit around and do nothing day" as much as possible. Except I need to go to the grocery store. And Value Village's Labor Day sale is on. I did labor pretty hard today, after all.
