I knew this already, but it really resurfaced earlier this week: I am not made for running.
Last summer, I started training again simply for the sake of exercise and good health. The fact is, I enjoy cooking–and eating, by proxy–too much to make a substantial decrease in food intake a very realistic long-term goal. Saying that makes me sound like a massive hambeast, but I’d like to think that I’ve already adapted a reasonably healthy, well-rounded diet that doesn’t skimp too much on flavor and variety. I only need the occasional reminder to not go overboard. Editing how I ate would be more of a hassle than adding thirty minutes of activity to my day, and running only requires a good pair of sneakers, right?
Except that I’m awful at it.
It’s not like I’m peeling myself off the couch and trying to run a 5k for the first time. I ran when I was younger, I ran in high school, and I occasionally got off my ass in college every now and then, too. It’s certainly not the fact that I’m inactive: I can walk for miles and spend hours on a bike without the associated misery. But I never got that “runner’s high”, the stress relief, the adrenaline rush–whatever those warm and fuzzy feelings that running buffs always banter on about. I find it hard to motivate myself at 7 AM to go out and do something so… well, this will sound overly dramatic, but agonizing. Frankly, I realized that it’s not for me.
So this summer, I think I’m going to add light yoga into my routine, which I can carry into the winter without interruption. I’ll switch up my cardio from running to riding my bike to work, as soon as I work up a slightly more bike-friendly route (and my helmet).
That’s the plan. Wish me luck!
