Oh the Pain

Ok, it must be said, I am not as strong or impervious or anything else as I thought I once was. I'm talking about last weekend's 5K, which I did, I think I was in the bottom 10% or so, but that is ok... because I never liked running. Anyway let me break it down, because I can still feel my fingers... my toes or legs... not so much.

We started out me and the Songbird (who may get replaced by Augustus as the more musically inclined, but that is a different story) way in the back, she was a bit apprehensive about the whole thing... at first. My teenaged daughter was running up ahead (she found some friends). Right from the beginning i could feel my calf muscles seizing up. I'm not even out of the parking lot of my wife's school and already I am feeling the burn.

And this is just walking, yes I know I should have stretched before hand, but I didn't and now I had to go. Plus the Songbird really wasn't into the whole running thing. But we pressed on. I asked the Songbird if she remembered the story of the tortoise and the hare... She did, and she knew that slow and steady wins the race, or something like that.

We are just coming up on mile one of our little running race, when what do we see? My teenager gasping for air. At that point I said to the Songbird, slow and steady. It was also at this point that the Songbird left me and went with her sister for the rest of the race. Hmfp! Oh well, I was just glad she was happy and I had my hand free to concentrate of jogging/walking the rest of the way.

The first mile done, the rest of the way seemed to go by much faster, I would see-saw with my two children, because I guess I never read the tortoise and the hare to the oldest. My speed remained the same, but I was feeling it. Into my knees and my thighs even in my hips. This was not good. I mean I know I'm not in shape, but I didn't think I was out of shape so much that I would be feeling it three days later.

So my kids finished before me, and really, they should have because I finished in about 52 min or about 17 minutes per mile. That is pathetic. And I was hurting so bad. I ran 2 miles, as a part of my PT test in the Army, in 15 minutes some 17 years ago. When you look on it like that well, something needs to happen. But I'm not so sure. I have run exactly NONE since I got out of the Army, and I really don't think I will be in a job that requires running anytime soon. So I find myself doing a cost vs. benefit again.

Yes if I get into shape, I will be able to run, jump, whatever... for longer, harder, blah blah blah. But at what cost? Well number one I don't really have the time... I'm not saying that I couldn't, but finding time would be tough. My evenings are filled with cooking, rolling around on the floor with my littlest one, enjoying time with my wife, arguing with the teenager about anything and everything... you know important stuff. Then there is the pain. That I would not like one bit, but I could probably shift around, biking instead of running etc. The the big wild card in all of this I would need to adjust my insulin. But still doable.

So is it worth it? To be able to run without feeling like dog shit afterward? I really don't think so. I might be wrong, I mean if I needed to get in shape or I would die or if I was single and getting in shape would help me not be single... but that isn't the case at all. Maybe what I'll do is some form of exercise that will workout my legs but not running, but I don't know if that will help me run any faster/better.

Still you really don't know. Now I'm nursing my wounds and wishing it all away. I must say the event for the school went well, the way everyone cheered for me (they cheered for everyone)... bringing up the last of some 150 runners, well it made me wonder, "What the hell is wrong with these people?" but in gracious fun, I bowed, because I felt it was necessary. I am not made for 5K running races, but if one of my kids or my wife needs a body to run in one, to be in last, then I am your huckleberry.