Let Your Fingers Do the Running

I ran again. I forced my body to take a beating I don’t believe it completely deserved. Technically it was the second day of my Couch to 5K program, but since it happened a week later, I am just calling do-over.

Somehow things were a little clearer in my mind when I set upon the treadmill this time. So when the time came for me to crank up the mph and run, I was a little better at keeping my cool. Y’know as opposed to the usual freak out that is my mind, spinning wildly trying to figure out what it is that I’m thinking. I’ve decided that if you have to try that hard to understand what you’re thinking, that means that you aren’t thinking anything. It might not be like the Emergency Broadcast System tone, but it’s not far off.

Anyway. I started saying the word ‘relax’ to myself and it was semi-working. And that’s odd because ‘relax’ is so close to ‘calm down’, which really pisses me off. Well, apparently in my non-frantic state I am more aware of discomfort that running is causing me. The screaming in my head must have been muffling it. So I guess what I have is shin splints or perhaps it’s just the result of not stretching beforehand. The lower part of my shin ached when I ran, but only on the left leg. Just under my knee on my right leg was the other problem.

I also discovered something new. My head may be calmer when I run now, but I think all the crazy just migrated a little south. It relocated to my hands. I’ve read tips that say to hold your hands as though you’re holding a potato chip or a butterfly (those were not the same article, mind you.) I guess because some people tend to clench their hands into fists when they run. I’ve never had a problem with that so I didn’t worry about it. Then I started reminding myself how to hold my hands. That made my hands nervous apparently. Like someone was judging them. My hands started to develop nervous twitches. Then I started trying to stop them and it just got worse.

So here I am running and, from the looks of it, I’m also singing It’s The End of The World As We Know It in sign language. And my fingers knew every word. The guy two treadmills down thought I was telling him to steal third. But as soon as I started walking again, it was over. I think I’m actually going to have to be holding something to keep my hands quiet. God knows what I’m saying to people while I’m running.

I’m going to start running outside, too, because let’s face it—the 5K is outside. I’m doing my second day of the C25K today, but it will be at the gym. Updates on that later.

Incidentally, the 5K I’m training for benefits the School for the Deaf. I guess my hands are practicing mingling.