Saturday, May 5, 2012

Outdoors, Shmoutdoors

Running outside s-u-c-k-s, sucks. I'm so used to running in my pretty, temperature-controlled, staff-cleaned, elevation-regulated gym facilities, that my neighborhood run yesterday afternoon was an unwelcome surprise. And by that I mean, hot-as-hell demonic activity for the certifiably insane.

I was lying on the couch watching Scream (feel free to be embarrassed for me), itching to be doing something physical. I decided to drag my lazy bones off the couch, patch up the hole in my favorite pair of yoga pants, start up Pandora on my phone, and run the 2-mile circuit of the surrounding cul-de-sacs. I ended up doing a 1.1-mile jog/walk combo due to the heat, the elevation of my neighborhood, my thirst, and my 5-day hiatus from running. I know, I'm pretty lame. I warned you that I'm a huge wiener when it comes to being in the heat. My music kept me company while I cursed at the MapMyFitness+ app for not cooperating with my GPS. I'm a huge fan of this app, but only when it works simultaneously with my phone's GPS and my run is actually tracked properly. I had to make a guesstimate, which screws up my Excel spreadsheet...

I kept wondering if my neighbors could hear me wheezing as I labored up the steep cul-de-sac hills. Mostly I was wondering whether I can run a 5K in 7 days without walk breaks, without vomiting, without crying, and without passing out. Yes, I trained for 12 weeks, and yes, I completed many a 5K run (and then some). Perhaps the mistake(s) I made was training indoors, during the winter, strictly on a treadmill. Fortunately, the 5K course I'll be running is almost entirely flat, except for one uphill section toward the end. Also, Ian is unexpectedly available to come cheer me on and take pictures of me crossing the finish line! I cannot wait to blog about completing my first race ever, no matter how I finish.

I will say that, despite my temporary self-doubts and my poor attitude about the heat, I took pride in my meager run and my motivation to drag myself from the couch out into the bipolar steam room that God dubbed Virginia.

Well, we're off to Cafe Caturra for coffee and pastries. We've been trying to instill the family tradition of doing this every Saturday and experimenting with different coffee shops, but our schedules have never allowed it. We're starting now! :)

P.S. Do you enjoy exercising outside, even when it's hot? Do you prefer to exercise outdoors or indoors?

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