running (part 1 of x)

I don't know if I speak for the majority out there or what, but I have a love/hate thing for running.  What I love:

• It's convenient. Walk out your door, and BOOM, commence workout.
• It's cheap. Except for all the fun clothes and shoes. But seriously, think of all the $$ you save on a gym membership.
• I really believe in a list of three things when writing, but I can't think of a third thing that I love about running.

What I hate:

• Everything else.

Within the past month, NS has motivated me to run more by running with him. And by run more, I mean run more than twice a month. The problem is (here we go with the excuses) he is 6'3'' and I.... am not even close. So even if our legs are turning at the exact same rate (which I will grant you they are not), he is instantly running farther.  Here is the other problem (not that I'm full of excuses or anything): NS loves to beat any kind of "record" he ever sets, no matter how minor. He then applied this to my runs. If we ran 4 miles in 37 minutes on Day 1, we'd better be running 4.1 miles in 36 minutes on Day 2.  NS is a man of extremes, and I am a girl of balance. I'd rather run the same distance in the same time for the rest of my life and boast of consistency than run faster and farther than yesterday one time.

I said all that to say that I was getting pretty discouraged with my running experiences as of late. It just hurt too much, I got too winded, and I could never go as far as NS on our runs.  

Then along came KD, a physiotherapist here on Grand Cayman, with a 10-week "Learn to Run" program. I know running sounds like something that wouldn't require lessons, but if there's one thing I'm good at, it's following directions. Give me a schedule and a 5-step process, and I'll [run] to town.  Unfortunately, I missed the program's weeks 1 and 2, but based on my running history, KD put me in Group 3 (the second-fastest group), and I was able to jump right in and pick up on the workouts. Basically, the programs trains participants for a relay-style marathon on Grand Cayman in December. Groups 1-3 will each run a quarter marathon (about 6.5 miles), and Group 4 will run a half marathon.

Today was my first meeting. About 20 of us met at 6 a.m., did some drills (high knees, butt kicks, etc.), broke into groups, and off we went. Group 3's pace was slower than I expected, which was nice, because I could chat with the other members.  (What a novelty! I am completely unable to chat when running with NS!)  Tropical Storm Paula came through while we were out and made sure we were sufficiently soaked and cooled off by the end of the run.

The only downer in all this:  I spotted a Group 3 girl at Foster's after work today and gave her a friendly wave. She showed no signs of familiarity, proving that I am completely unrecognizable in the morning.