WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT AFTER YOUR FIRST WEEK OF RUNNING by Cassie

So, I've completed my first week of running.

Ok, so I actually have only trained two times this week.  HOWEVER, two out of three ain't bad!  (For our training plan, click here.)

After the first day, as I sat on the couch and ate my victory cupcake with Jill, I felt great.  Sweaty, but great.  This wild sense of accomplishment, of anything-is-possible, brightened my outlook on the world and hyped me up.  Two hours later, as Jill and I sat at Five Guys Burgers, enjoying our cheese-laden beef patties on deliciously toasted buns and SHARING (!!!!) a small order of fries (we're watching our diets because of training*), she complained that her legs felt like jello, and I laughed.  I felt awesome!  Energized!  Full of la joie de vivre!

Five hours later, I stood on the platform at church in heels for a full hour-and-a-half feeling great.  Why?  Cause I'm a runner now.  And you probably aren't.

Thirty minutes after that, I wished for my death.  My legs began to freeze up.  My hips felt like someone was trying to pop my femurs out of joint.  My stomach ached (can't determine if that was the run or the Five Guys).  My arms even hurt - and all I did was swing those as I ran, and occasionally brace the girls from too much bounceage.  Apparently it's more work for my arms than I thought.  Add to that the continual flush on my cheeks that lasted from the end of the run til about, oh, 10:00 pm.  I was a hot mess.

What they don't tell you about this "running" thing is that it hurts.  Who would think your own body could turn against you this way?  Laying in bed that night, the relief of being off my feet was the best feeling ever!  But when I woke up the next morning, I felt just as crappy as the previous day.  Maybe worse.  But you know what the crazy thing is?  By the end of the day, I was excited about training the next morning!  I was actually anxious to get up early and head to the gym and do it again.  Weird huh?

I hope this keeps up.  For some reason, I'm motivated.  Because motivation for me is rare and unpredictable, I've learned to hop on the motivation wagon whenever it decides to drive by and ride it for all it's worth.  So that's what I'm going to do!

*Trust me, this is a big deal.  If you know Jillian or me, you know that we're not really food sharers.