Sharing a challenge: my body rebels
Welcome to the ongoing saga of my half-marathon race training. So far, we have covered the following:
Sharing a challenge
Motivation
Getting the right fuel for the job
Falling off the rails
Going into survival mode
I am going to start off by saying that on Sunday I ran almost 12 kilometres, which is over 7 miles. With no ill effects I might add!
Armed with the confidence of managing such an incredible feat (with my incredible feet), I headed out on Tuesday for a mere 6 kilometre or 4 mile run.
My lungs were tight, but this is normal. Both my brother and I suffer from running induced asthma. The key is to run through it. My brother’s lungs generally ‘snap open’ after 10 minutes. Mine ‘snap open’ somewhere near the end of 2 miles.
So, at about 1.5 miles I was surprised to feel my lungs getter tighter and tighter. At the 2 mile mark they were tighter still.
“Hey,” I yelled at my body, “what is going on here?”
No response, just even tighter lungs.
“Helloooo,” I tried again, “I’m talking to you. What is going on?”
“What did you eat today?” was the reply I got.
“Excuse me? I want to know why my lungs aren’t cooperating, and you want to talk about food?”, I fired back.
“What did you EAT today?”, my body persisted.
At which point I decided to humour my body. Maybe if we discussed the day’s menu we could get back to the business of running.
“6:00 a.m. espresso. 6:30 a.m. espresso. 10:30 a.m. coffee, 2 fried eggs over easy, buttered brown toast, 3 strips of bacon, home fries. 3:00 p.m. a bag of chips.”
“So, let me sum this up,” my body drawled in a truly irritating way. “Caffeine, fat, useless carbs, with a teeny tiny bit of protein thrown in for show. And expect me to do WHAT with that?”
This stopped me dead in my tracks. Literally, because by this point my lungs had completely shut down from the exertion of running and yelling at me.
“Oh,” I said. “Perhaps, it’s not really reasonable to ask you to run on that.”
“You think?”
Seems my body has sarcasm down to a science.
“Well, how about we walk the rest of the way home?”, I kindly suggested.
“‘Well, we can’t exactly sit down in the middle of the road, now can we?”
Clearly, my body was not ready to forgive me yet.
“And how about I feed you better tomorrow.”‘
“Fine,” it pouted.
So, we walked home.
I would like to say I did feed my body better the next day. I did not. Nor the next day. But, I sure wasn’t going to ask it to run either.
Running, it seems, is not really my challenge. Eating properly is. Not being able to run is the consequence of this.
Over the course of this next week, I am going to examine this whole food issue. I promise to report back on my findings.
Have your say:
When you fall off an challenge commitment, do you stop to figure out the root cause? What have you discovered?
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Love your insightful inner dialogues!
I like the Eat Right for Your Blood Type concept. Seems odd, but it works for everyone in the household, and I pay the Ugh! price when I stray from it too far.
Ever since reading Louise Hay, studying into NLP, and having success with EMDR, I always wonder the underlying cause of whatever is going on. The trick is not to get into some self-blaming game that creates more negative energy.
@Lori – this is several times I have been introduced to the concept of Eat Right for Your Blood Type. Now, I am totally intrigued and will find out what it is all about. I really need to work out this food thing. Thanks!
I suppose I should have updated you. In the first couple of years of running, probably due to the effects of having smoked, I experienced runners asthma and I can’t remember the last time this bothered me. Now my only challenges are staying hydrated, eating enough food, and getting enough sleep.
@Sibling Rob – now that is fascinating, because I have never smoked. And I drink constantly while running. I wonder if it truly is my body screaming out for more and proper nutrition?
Eating is my problem…and the bazaar muscle spasms I have been having are keeping me from my usual exercise routine since Nov. 09…..I am starting to feel better and bored with my one mile routine – up to 3 times a day and still scared to attempt my 5 miles in case I get stuck or more spasms and can not get home…
Still another month before I can get in for a massage….The blog world has been wonderful with ideas and suggestions, but am afraid I will lose my readers if I keep pouring out my physical problems…
I am eating Dr. Fuhrman’s Eat to LIve program…but sill have 100 pounds to go…
It is hard when the body fails and the mind is ready to go…wow I expected this to be the healthiest time in my life….I hope my vigor returns…
(Yes, S&G readers I know about magnesium….my liver is failing…it is not vitamin related issues)
I wish you well….I also love to eat good healthy food…why waste my taste buds on junk? or stuff that makes me feel worse…???
Thanks for sharing your story…it makes me feel not quite so alone.
@Patricia – I had a bit of a food epiphany over the weekend. Not going to share it this week, because I had two epiphanies! Will be discussing one this Friday and the food epiphany next Friday. Good for you for sticking to exercise and proper diet despite a body that is truly rebelling. I’m off to read what Dr. Fuhrman’s philosophy is. And sharing is what Silver & Grace is all about