Finding my stride

My man loves to run. I love to encourage and support him. He's done many races including a half marathon and lots of 10ks, and every year he runs the Vancouver Sun Run with his old friend M. H has lots of stamina (and a gargantuan appetite, so I am thankful he loves staying fit!) and, except for the annual bouts with flu in autumn and hay fever in summer, he is as strong as an ox. And that's a good analogy -- as a runner, his strength lies not in speed but in stamina and endurance.

Me, I think of myself as a lazy sleepy cat. I love nothing better than snuggling up in bed with a good book. But my other animal, thanks to the Chinese zodiac, is the fire horse and until early this year, that horse was not much in evidence. I was not one for hitting the road and running. I loved ambling walks but that was it. H had to bribe me with some nifty Lululemon outfits to get me to sign up last October for a learn-to-run clinic. After all, I couldn't always be the designated photographer when he and his running group took part in races all over the countryside. Plus, the family that runs together, stays together (so said the crafty lady at the local running store).

The class got the horse stirred, but she wasn't running yet. It was a long, slow learning curve. Even a two minute run interval got me huffing and gasping. Like most learn to run programmes, the clinic followed an interval pattern (walk 3 min, run 1, repeat 3x) that gradually progressed over 3 months until you got to running 30 minutes straight, no walking. But even that gentle pace was, on hindsight, too fast for me. I was stricken with flu midway into the programme, and then the ugly monster of plantar fasciitis reared its head. Result: I was sidelined for almost months.

December dawned. The lingering effects of the flu was gone (H had it too and we now think it was H1N1) but my physical activity consisted mostly of brisk 2x or 3x weekly walks with the dogs. But there was a 5k race I had signed up for in February! I couldn't bear to waste all that money. I simply must get out there and hit the pavement again. Plus there were all these cute running clothes....

So I started again. It was as difficult as I expected, but the PF seemed to have diminished. I still got the occasional heel pain after a run/walk but it did not sap me as much. I got stronger.

And so, on Jan. 17th, I ran and walked a 5k race in Langley with a friend. We hooted and cracked jokes most of the way, and we made it through the finish line in 47 minutes. We didn't set any record, but just completing the course was an incredible high. I got out there, and

I.DID.IT.

The joy of actually accomplishing something physical is new to me. I've always worried and believed that my heart is "weak" and that I will never be an athlete. As a child I had asthma and as an adult I have suffered through some very bad colds and bouts of flu. My cardiovascular endurance is simply very low. But by going slow and building my fitness gradually I have kindled something new in myself. For this I thank H, for the initial push that got me out the door.