You can see how I would get those 2 words confuzzled… especially when you’re a chic with 228 pounds of hanging/loose skin and fat flabs. My aversion to running/jogging started young… but it really didn’t hit high levels of hatred until I hit middle school and we were made to run a timed mile every few months. I was always last… always. And I hated every minute of the run. Running isn’t natural… your innards get all discombobulated… my pancreas moved on down to my toes… my brain moved on down to my receptacle… and I ain’t even going to tell you where the spleen ended up. To cope during the timed mile, I took to shaking my hands vigorously all the while I was running. If I had a quarter for every time someone in my PE class asked me why I was shaking my hands whilst running, I’d be able to rent the Taj Mahal for lavish parties willy nilly.
I admire those folks who can up and run a marathon whenever they feel like it. I have a friend who has run 30-some-odd marathons in her life. She is a rockstar with the running… but I know that she works at it daily. You don’t just wake up one morning and say to yourself, yeah, I’m 150 pounds overweight, but I think I’ll go jog 27 miles… down to the Dunkin Donuts and back. Baby steps… grasshopper… baby steps.
No, I am not announcing my desire to run a marathon in the near future in this post. But, I think I needed to face my running/jogging fear head on, so last night and tonight on my walk, I added in 2 separate jogging spurts between the speed walking… 2 minutes each. I’m super glad it was dark when I attempted this for 2 reasons… A.) Me jogging AIN’T a pretty picture and 2.) I swear I almost knocked myself unconscious with one of my fat flabs. A truck even slowly drove down this out of the way road I was jogging on TWICE just so he could make sure he wasn’t hallucinating… Nothing to see here, rude man… just a chic jiggling!
Question of the Day: Do you enjoy jogging/running?
Note: Thank you for all the sweet notes regarding Monday’s blog post… y’all are sweet.
craving a life 
Answer: I hate running! I also like it. Usually, I have both of these feelings at the same time.
Small steps. Good on you for throwing a little bit of jogging in there. 🙂
It’s a double-edged sword! Thanks for the comment!
Nope–I’ve always been a klutz and uncoordinated. I have to be at the back of the class in aerobics (I don’t do those anymore) because I can never keep up or figure out the steps.
My daughter runs and she can eat anything she wants. I used to work with a guy who ran every day, too, and he ate anything he wanted. He used to tell me that. But–me–I’d probably fall every day at least once.
For you–WAY TO GO!
Colleen… I’m a double klutz too! I was nervous the whole time that I was going to biff it on my face somewhere. Stupid klutz gene. I hope you had a good time in Alaska!
I’m not a long distance runner for sure, but I don’t mind an occasional jog combined in with my speed walking. Sometimes it’s easier to break into a run than try to walk really fast. My jogging is usually down hill though. Way to go Whit. The 2 minutes of running will give you an added kick start.
I must have got the running hatred from you!
So I once worked at ICON as a product tester…. Pretty much for the first, I don’t know how many weeks, I walked. Just like yourself I’ve pretty much loathed running since…. well birth. I decided to give running a real go and I slowly started more and more running spurts until months later I was running 4.5 miles continuously 4 times a week. I found that after I was conditioned for it, it wasn’t as bad. Although I can’t say I ever really got to a place where I liked running, just that I didn’t have to mentally psych myself up to do it every day like in the beginning.
Now that I’m back out of shape and a lot more pounds I looked into running again, cuz dang if it isn’t convenient to just grab shoes and run out the front door, no gym or equipment required. I started on the Couch to 5k running program. Ever heard of that one? It starts you really easy, like you were doing with just bursts of running in between walking… they even had a free app for my phone where it beeped when i was supposed to run and beeped when I could walk, and then I could mark off the sessions I did. Then my bad knee got all puffy… boo… but I don’t think it was from the program, I still actually think it’s a good un if you’re not in running shape, but are thinkin’ on it.
Christie… I did not know you were a product tester at ICON at one time. I always saw that job advertised in the classifieds and thought it might be a good idea, but I never did it because I was sure they’d make me run!! Sue me… they didn’t have any donut tester positions.
Stupid bad knees… :*( I have heard of that couch to 5K program. I might just give it a go sometime!
Question of the Day: Do you enjoy jogging/running?
Growing up we used to run all over the farm all the time. Chasing each other, chasing the animals, races, fetching some obscure tool Dad needed out in the back 40, and our play always consisted of running. Always.
In middle school we would have Field Days and my brothers, sister, and I would always win every contest. We were crazy strong, fast, and fit. Farm kids waste the city kids..lol. Fun for us but probably not so fun for the other kids…
When I got boobs, I started to hate running.
That and the track…ugh. I hated going around and around that boring track. We had to do it though to make the team and I was always on every team. I don’t know what a 10 min mile has to do with high school girls volleyball, basketball, softball, or soccer…
Tried walking & jogging on a treadmill when the kids were small. I really had good intentions but UGH it was even more boring than the track. My Dh even tried putting in a little used tv for me to watch while I did the treadmill thing. Didn’t help. It rarely worked right and I was bored and unmotivated.
I always prefer to walk outside and I like to even vary my route.
This past June when the kids were in swimming lessons, I would walk at the track across the street from the pool. I did that all month and I got to where I kind of liked it. I even would have days where I would jog the long side of the track and walk to recover on the shorter ( width ) side. I didn’t totally hate it and I was proud of myself for being able to do it. I would feel it the next day – wow but it was totally worth it.
GO WHITNEY! Great job pushing yourself and changing up your routine a bit. I am proud of you ladybug!!
I am hoping to jog-walk the same 5K we walked this past weekend…same time…same place next year. Add that to my Bucket List.
Keep pushing forward…
~Louisa
I am with you… if you’re blessed (or cursed) in the breasticle section, running ain’t so much fun. Way to go, Louisa jog/walking that track. That’s where I started my walking because it didn’t have any cracks and divets, so I wouldn’t trip and fall. But, I’m like you… MUCH prefer the walking outdoors thing… MUCH!
So proud that you accomplished that 5K this past weekend, Louisa! Major accomplishment. Next year jog-walking!!
So proud of you for trying something new and increasing your challenge in your workouts. Must mean you are getting stronger and more fit! I used to hate running in high school too. But I kept making myself do it in college for some reason. Now that I am older, I actually do like it. But I am not a mighty marathon runner. 5K’s are more my style. 30-40 minutes of slow running is all I can do without dying. And that is all I am going to make myself do. This summer I am taking a break from the running, and I miss it. I actually do crave it now! Can’t wait to start it up again.
Jen-Jen… you and me have the same klutzitis genes… but I think you are much more graceful about it than I am! I remember when you did that last 5K! That was an accomplishment!
don’t do running, even if I am going to miss a bus or train I will not run. I will walk really really fast but running, no way. Hated it at school, don’t ever remember running as a child except when playing rounders (baseball for you yanks) & refuse to do it EVER. My boobs are too big, Fact.
Good for you for giving it a go though, is good to give your heart rate a sharp increase burst.
Bec…
HA! Exactly!! The boobs thing really takes the desire out of the running. I’d need to smash my puppies in before I’d ever be comfortable doing it in public.
Good for you, Whitney!
I have a love/hate relationship with running. I began running this past spring, but have bad knees. I loved it at first and had participated and done really well in my first 5K, but afterwards needed 4 weeks to recoop. I have another big event coming up this weekend. Then I am giving up running though.
Miserable knees, anyway! 😦 Way to go on completing the 5K, even if your knees hated you! Good luck on your event this weekend… I know you will rock it!
You rock, girl! I so admire you!
I guess we weren’t in the same P.E. class in middle school, because I was pretty sure I always came in last on the timed mile 🙂 And I still hate running.
I absolutely love the photo!!!!!