Running...

In April I decided I wanted to start running. I started with the couch to 5K app, which was great, but alas I didn’t really finish it. I made it to week six, but between moving and adjusting to a new city (especially the altitude) I got off track and sort of fell off the running wagon. Over the last two weeks I’ve been trying hard to get back to a regular running schedule. In order to motivate myself I signed up for a 5K race that is one month from today.  I'm also trying to take advantage of the awesome places I have to run. I’m lucky that I live fairly close to the Elbow River, so I get to run along the wonderful river paths and through the parks.

The biggest thing I have to overcome with running is my dislike of sweating and being overheated. Sounds like a pretty big part of exercise in general to overcome, yes?  I swear that because my pores are so tiny I don’t sweat properly. It all gets trapped just below the skin and I feel, and look, like a lobster in boiling water. I’ve worked hard and am working passed this, mostly by developing my own fitness so I don’t overheat as easily. This has been especially tricky given the hot summer we are having here in Calgary.

Tonight I had a really great run. I ran 3K straight without stopping to walk and it felt pretty good until about the last .5K. I was thrown by this because for the last few weeks at times I’ve made it to a single kilometer and had to start walking. I thought it was the heat that’s been knocking me down, but it was 30 degrees when I started tonight. So now I’m trying to sort out if it’s the sun being much lower in the sky or if my body likes running this time of day better. I’d be very curious to hear my running friend’s thoughts on this. Hopefully this will be the beginning of hitting my stride so I can work my way up to 5K before September 8.

I thought I would share two of my very favourite songs to run to this week. They are also two of my happy songs. Can’t listen to either of these without wanting to jump around the room and belt them. It takes a lot sometimes not to do this when I am out and about running.

Say Hey (I LoveYou) by Michael Franti, I dare you to try not to dance. Also, check out this fun flash mob from an episode of Weeds using this song. Apparently they had him at Folkfest a few years ago. So sad I missed this.

Shake it Out by Florence + The Machine. I am borderline obsessed with Flo at the moment. Easily in the top three of bands I want to see live the most. And here’s a fun choral version for good measure J I wish they were a little less choral-like with their diction, but overall enjoyable.