Because I am in a really bad mood today, I am opting to subject you to a very boring, mildly gross, inconsequential-in-the-grand-scheme-of-things type of story because it’s all black clouds and dead kittens* around here and when I am suffering, WE ALL SUFFER. Here goes . . .
Approximately twelve days ago, I decided to fire up the Couch to 5K iPhone app (henceforth lovingly referred to by its acronym C25K) that I paid for back in oh-probably-August, and that has since sat unused on page three of my apps.
And to clarify in case you are wondering, no, my decision to start C25K was not based in some grand New Year’s resolution to lose weight and get healthy, and not because those aren’t important and admirable things to resolve at the turn of a new calendar year, but because I stopped making resolutions back in 2006 because I have absolutely no idea why.
No, my decision to start C25K was inspired by the fact that I will be turning thirty-nine (39) years old this July and I am right now at the lowest fitness level and the highest poundage of my life and hey have you heard that heart disease can freaking KILL YOU DEAD?
Also, a couple of the skinny bitches in my family started running programs recently (hey, girls! holla!) and are participating in actual races that give you cute medals and t-shirts just for showing up and I can totally get on board with that.
On Day Two of my new exercise regimen, I realized that I had not replaced my running shoes in a year or more of wearing them two to five days a week at my on-my-feet-all-day job as a nurse, so I decided a little shoe shopping was in order since I care greatly about showing up to the gym in cute new shoes foot health. I headed over to one of our local sporting goods places and tried on a gadzillion pairs, settling on a pair of Nikes.
Now, I am usually a real over-researcher, and in the past I most likely would have spent hours asking Google questions about how to pick the perfect pair of runners for my needs, but I’ve been having a love-hate relationship with the internet for the past X months (as evidenced by the non-existent to hardly-ever posting on this here blog) and I frankly didn’t give a damn what Google thought. My husband feels Google’s pain.
This lack of empirical datum would be my downfall as there were at least two important bullet points I wish I had known:
1. It is frequently recommended that one buy running shoes in one-half to one-full size BIGGER than usual, and
2. It is frequently recommended that one BREAK IN one’s new running shoes before attempting a 2.5 mile run on the treadmill in them.
So, after attempting a 2.5 mile run on the treadmill in my new shoes, I was rewarded for my efforts with a quarter-sized bright red open oozing blister on my right heel. YEEHAW.
I took a couple of pictures of the wound for posterity and gross factor, but I will not share them because I am afraid you will be more grossed out by my dry, cracked heels than by my blister and while we are on the subject I would like to state for the record that Rob gave me a toe fungus last spring so it’s been over a year since I’ve had a pedicure because I didn’t want to contaminate the footbathtub at Artistic Nails with my fungi and you are so welcome south Tulsa.
I’ve forgotten where I was going with all this, but anyway . . . yeah . . . blister . . . So, in my dedication to my new exercise regimen, I continued to do C25K for three more days, despite the fact that no amount of any type of bandage, tape, film, or padding lessened the pain and also despite the fact that the blister freaking GOT BIGGER, REDDER, AND OOZ-IER, because I am COMMITTED. Or else because I need to BE COMMITTED. Either or.
When I could no longer stand the pain, I took six days off. It probably also helped that I caught the 2010 Stomach Virus of Doom in that six day period and our gym frowns on our leaving bodily fluids of any kind on the treadmills. And that’s all I’m gonna say about THAT.
Anyway, today was my first day back and it went okay. I’m still in the process of regaining my strength from being sick and the blister is a bit tender yet, so I completed C25K at a slower pace than usual but left the gym with another 1.5 miles under my belt and no new open wounds, so I WIN!
Happy Monday to you and yours.
* No kittens were harmed in the writing of this post.
And…South Tulsa thanks you. lol So glad you’re writing again. Missed your posts. Unless of course you have been writing, and I’ve completely missed your posts. And if that is the case then let me just end this run-on with And….South Tulsa thanks you.