Running hurts my shoulders

The plan was a 4 mile run. The outcome was a little less than that.

I was on the road at 0600 this morning and as soon as began running, the skies opened and the rain started pelting down. That wasn't so bad; I like running in a warm rain, but the workout the day before at the the gym, began to take it's punishing toll early in the run. I had worked my shoulders on Tuesday thinking that would cause the least interference with my running program, but after five minutes, my shoulders were aching, almost intolerably. For me, the worst part of heading back to the weights after a long period away from them, is the muscle pain I have to go through with each major muscle group after the first few workouts. After thirty minutes of running, I could no longer hold my arms in the running position and began walking in from that point. The relief I felt when I was able to relax my arms and let them hang at my sides is inexplicable.

I cut through a trail area to get home a little quicker and as I was coming off the wooded trail, I met a woman just on her way in. She took one look at me and turned around and started walking the other way. I guess I look a little threatening to the ladies when I'm outfitted in my running gear. It was the strangest thing I had experienced in a while...one look at me and gone - a real boost to the male ego.

Once I got back to pavement, I ran for a couple more minutes, but that too was agonizing on my shoulders.

Like I said, the intention was a 4-miler, but you know what they say about intentions and the road to 'hell'.

Muscleheads

I know, it has been six days. I've been consumed by my basement, so much so, that I didn't even run on Sunday; that, for me, is equivalent to a Catholic skipping church. Realizing the half marathon training didn't officially start until today, I decided to rest up after two very exhausting weeks of demolition and destruction.

I made it into the gym today to start on a weight training program for at least the next six weeks - me and all the muscleheads. Why do young men feel the need to examine every inch of their bodies in the mirrors while they curl or squat a few pounds in front of those same mirrors? They must think they look great. Good for them.

Today was supposed to be a running day, but being the first day back to work in more than two weeks, and after looking out the window and seeing the rain, I decided against the run this morning and will move it to tomorrow morning. That's the beauty of training by yourself, you can make those adjustments. Adjusting is fine, skipping isn't. Skipping one workout leads to skipping a second, and once you've skipped two, then it's really easy to skip a third...you see where I'm going with this? Tomorrow is a 4 mile run so I shouldn't have any problem fitting it in if I'm on the road by six. I plan to do the same run on Thursday morning as well and that will get me back on track with the plan, as it appears on paper. As I go back and read the last couple of sentences, I'm still amazed that I can write about a 4 miler as if it's nothing. Less than a year ago, a 4 minuter was a challenge.

It's incredible what your body can do if properly fueled by your mind.

Couldn't run to save myself

I haven't been blogging for a couple of days now, fact is, I'm beat out. I started the jackhammering of my basement floor on Monday to make room for the new plumbing lines that have to be installed. To say that it was a tiring job would not really describe what it did to me physically. Yesterday, I felt like I had gone 12 rounds with Mike Tyson while having my hands tied behind my back. Running hasn't even been considered - I couldn't run to save myself.

I didn't jump on the scale Monday either, simply because I forgot. I was in such a rush to get to the rental store to pickup the jackhammer and get started that it completely slipped my mind; that's o.k. though, I like weighing in on Friday mornings so I'll just switch it until then.

I'm hoping to go for a little run on Friday morning, and then a longer one on Sunday. Next Tuesday is the first official day of the six-week half marathon training. Once I get the plumping in the floors and the trenches filled in again, I'll be able to concentrate a little more on the October event.

Until then, the basement is in ruins, although I'm thrilled to be finished with the jackhammer, that's for sure.