Inspired To Run Just One More Time

Whoa! A post about running!? I got home from work last Wednesday morning and checked the Runner’s World Website (one the sites I visit every day). I came across a link to this article about a blind high school girl who runs cross country with her seeing eye dog: http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/article/20111015/NEWS01/110150303/Blind-Lexington-athlete-making-history-dog. I mean, how inspiring can that be? I shared it with a couple of local running groups on Facebook right away and I hope someone took the time to click and read it. Here I am having “only” damaged ankle tendons and complaining about not being able to run. Well ok, I have to save my ankles so I can still walk in my older years, that’s why I had to give up running. On this day though, after reading that article and getting inspired, I just had to give it the old college try and mounted the treadmill.  I kept the incline at 1% and the speed very, very slow that it’s not even worth mentioning. I don’t even think speed is the right word for it. Crawl maybe? Anyway, I just wanted to feel something slightly faster than a brisk walk. I had to keep reminding myself to shorten my stride, keep it as light as I can (my stride is very heavy even when I try to keep it light), and to simulate an Alter-G treadmill (http://www.alter-g.com/), I even supported some my weight on my arms on the handrails so as to lessen the impact on my ankles. And of course, to remember the blind runner with the seeing eye dog. Well whatdayaknow but I lasted half an hour of doing that and did another 40 minutes of jogging and walking (raising the incline to 5% on the walking part, then back to 1% for the running portions). Let me assure you though that this is not a running comeback but a one- time deal. Or perhaps it was one of those occasional forays into my old pastime when inspiration strikes, combined with not too much pain in my ankles. Well, it’s better than nothing, isn’t it?

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