I started running with my brother yesterday. As I suspected it reminded me very much of why I hated gym class so much. Before the end of the first five minutes I was huffing and puffing. My lungs burned. My side ached. The dog needed to pee. Okay, so I didn't have a dog in gym class, but still. Going up the hill my street so conveniently sits on made me wonder if it was verticle and I just hadn't noticed up until this point. My shins hurt. My knees ached. The arches in my feet felt like they were being over-stretched.
The temptation to tell my brother I was done and walking back home was strong. Very, very strong. But I pushed through. Something about telling my big brother I was quitting made the competitive little sister in me rear her ugly head. That and the fact that I've never really gotten over the whole "He's so much cooler than me" thing I had all through childhood. How does that happen anyway? He's as much of a dork as I am. I bet he could list the ten top selling games for the Xbox without even looking.
Afterward, we stretched on my front porch. He commented on how much more flexible I was than him which brought out this weird warm glow in me. Hey! There's something I'm better at than he is! Spiffy! We spent about half an hour in my living room drinking our water and catching our breath. He was as winded as I was.
Oddly enough, as the night wore on and after my brother had left, instead of feeling exhausted and miserable, my energy levels went up. It was almost as if I'd downed a double-shot from Starbucks. But the feeling didn't go away twenty minutes later. Instead it lasted the rest of the evening, through getting ready for bed and laying down. And, added bonus, I slept really, really well last night. I usually toss and turn for a couple of hours before I finally doze off. This morning I was actually up before my daughter, which never happens. Was it because of the excercise? Possibly. I've read plenty of articles about how exercise improves sleep/sleep cycles. I didn't expect it to pay off immediately though. As this program continues, I'll keep an eye on my sleep patterns.
Today, I'm not nearly as sore as I thought I'd be. My shins hurt a bit, but that's to be expected. What surprised me today was how stiff I was moving this morning. Going up and down the stairs, especially with my toddler in hand has virtually turned into the most daunting task of the day. How weird.
We're back at it on Friday. I'll keep you updated on how it goes!
