When I ran my first half-marathon, I was 25 years old. At the ripe old age of 31, I am finding the training process quite draining and uncomfortable. My body is slightly slower to recover from my long runs, which has been a little frustrating. I am still finding the combination of weight training and running quite difficult- I think this will take longer than I anticipated. A substantial piece of the equation is the sedentary lifestyle I've lived for the past few years. Especially when my mental health worsened, I found a lot of safety and security on the couch. I don't think my fitness has ever been as low as it was when I started this journey. Again, a symptom or physical marker of that invisible shadow that has resided in my head for the last while. My 31st birthday was over the weekend. I gave myself permission to eat and drink anything I wanted. While this enjoyed, veering off my "diet" really brought me down. I shifted from feeling quite energetic back to a consistent sense of fatigue. For those of you who take mental health medication, you will know that alcohol really throws you. My training did suffer over the weekend and into this week. Setbacks will occur- some running is better than no running and I am reminding myself to "be gentle" on my self-criticism.
Aside from the discomfort, I do believe I am making progress. My partner still kicks my butt on our runs, however, I am finding the mechanics of running are a little better "programmed." My long runs have gotten up to 7K and I am in a place now where I will formally use a running program. I forgot to write about this earlier, however, the first few weeks were merely getting my legs and lungs moving. Now that I am covering some distances in my run, I am follow a running program. Mentally, I am feeling well (touch wood). My first month measurements are promising.
I will update everyone with the specific running plan that I select.
First Measurement
Weight- 200lbs (- 5lbs)
Medication #1- 200mg
Medication # 2- 75mg (- 25mg's)
Depression Inventory Score- 34 (- 6 points)
Anxiety Inventory Score- 31 (- 1 point)
Waterloo Suicide Prevention Council Fund- $185 out of $2,000
PLEASE DONATE to Waterloo-Kitchener Suicide Prevention
http://www.gofundme.com/qcc4qug
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