Sometimes it Sucks (Sorry, Mom!)

Today we woke up to rain... lots of it. But, as Mindy says, "They don't cancel a race for rain, so you might as well train in the rain." So, I put my big girl shorts on and headed out at 7:00 am. Unfortunately for me, I didn't stretch before I went out. I did my 5 min warm-up walk, but no stretching, and it showed.

I ran the first mile without much trouble. It poured several times, but the rain didn't seem to bother me at all.  By the time I got to the 1.5 mile mark,though, the shin splints and ankle pain started up. So, I walked it off, and then tried running again, but my legs felt really heavy and my hamstrings couldn't pick my feet up enough to prevent the shin splints from coming back. So, I walked and ran (more walking than running) the remainder of the 2.3 miles, then picked up the dog for our regular cool-down walk.

All in all, I ran more than I walked, and I was out there doing SOMETHING for at least 45 minutes, so it wasn't all a wash! But, I've had better days. I think I am in desperate need of some hamstring stretches that I can do a couple times a day in between runs...

Like I posted on my fitness challenge Facebook page recently, I think that running is like labor and delivery (sorry, guys!). While you're doing it, you're hating it and swearing you'll never do it again, but when you're done and it fades into the haze of short-term memory, you start planning the next one! :)  I stand by this analogy -- it totally fits for me!