Jogging

Christina mentioned the relatively new need to exercise as she entered her thirties in her guest post: Turning 30, by Christina. I lead a relatively sedentary lifestyle, sitting at a desk most of the day at work, so I definitely found this to be very true for myself as well.

I have recently started jogging, "recently" being about three weeks ago.  My knees are not really happy about this, but the rest of my body loves it.  I love the feeling of accomplishment and the adrenaline when I get back from a jog.

Yes, I call it "jogging".  It drives my sister crazy, but I think I am too slow to actually call it running.  So slow that I don't even want to tell you how far I go and what the pace is.  It's embarrassing.  But the speed isn't really the point of my jogging.  I'm not in a race.  I shouldn't compare myself to anyone else.  I am exercising because it makes me feel better.  Because it's good for me.  Not because I need to be able to run a mile in 6 minutes.  I had a little freak out the other day because of how "bad" I am at running.  My boyfriend had to remind me that you can't be "bad" at running, and he had to reiterate most of the things I just mentioned above.  It is frustrating that I run as slowly as I do.  That I can't go nearly as far as I want to be able to go.  That I have to stop and walk a bit to catch my breath.  I need to keep reminding myself that I am gradually improving and what my original goals were when I first started.  I want to be able to jog the entire route I do now and not have to walk any of it, even if at my current slow pace.

So far the knee pain I mentioned above isn't too horrible. It is mostly just when I go up or down stairs and isn't crippling, but I mentioned it to some friends who run and they had some advice for me that I wanted to pass on:

1. Make sure you have good sneakers. Everyone agreed on this one. You also need to make sure you replace them often if you are running a lot. They should last approximately 300-500 miles.
2. Increase the amount of stretching, particularly of the hamstrings. Before and after running.
3. Ice for 15 minutes after running.

I did do the extra stretching, and I also iced both knees, after my jog on Saturday.  And I am able to go up and down the stairs now without any pain.  I think it was the ice.

Also, I have Nike Air Pegasus sneakers that came highly recommended by my sister's boyfriend who has been a runner for years.  I bought them a long time ago but they never saw much action until now.