Running Again!

So, my twitter tagline says I’m a runner, and that used to be true. When I was training for the Warrior Dash and the Beach Dash I ran 9-12 miles per week. It was awesome! When I first started training I couldn’t even run for one minute without huffing and puffing. Thanks to the Couch to 5k program I was able to run 5k without stopping within 9 weeks.

Then I started writing my books. The writing of the first book was unbalanced. I spent hours and hours at the computer and neglected all other things. Book two, on which I’m currently working, has been much more balanced and thus has been going much slower. Still, I sit a lot. 

For the past 9 months or so I've been writing, and haven’t been running as much.

Well, I got on the scale Sunday morning and discovered that I've gained TWELVE EFFING POUNDS in the past few months. How does that even happen??? I don’t eat bad things. I’m a vegetarian for crying out loud! Grrr. So I bought Rusty Moore’s Visual Impact for Women, conned 2 of my friends into doing it with me, and began Monday.

I. am. so. sore!

It was a blast though. I forgot how much I enjoyed primitive running. I pulled on my Vibram Five Fingers, donned my Bluetooth and workout playlist, and my loaded up my dog, Daisy. We run at a local nature preserve. There’s almost never anyone there. That’s the part I like most, being that I don’t want anyone to see me running. Ugh.

Monday I did 30 minutes of walking 1.5 minutes, sprinting 30 seconds, then walked for 20 minutes. I did that after lifting weights. That was brutal. Horseflies were chasing us. Daisy got bitten. I just kept hitting the things with my arms.

Tuesday after lifting weights I ran for 4 minutes, walked for 3, totaling 21 minutes, then walked for fifteen minutes or so. That was super brutal because I was already stiff and sore. No horseflies, but my face ran into several spider webs and flying bugs. One flew into my mouth and I’m not at all sure if I actually managed to spit it out. Ick. Also, I saw a tree that looked like the shrunken head on the bus in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. 

It’s not fair how quickly one gets out of shape. Yeah, I’m a writer, so my life is fairly sedentary, but I’m not willing to be a fatty anymore. I want to be a hot writer! Today is my off day, and I think I’ll just swim a bit with my kid.

I wanted to share my running playlist with you though. I listen to music for the way it makes me feel. I don’t need thumping beats to fuel my energy. If you like just plain good music, maybe you’ll enjoy a song or two from the list.

Enjoy!

I’m the one that’s cool – The Guild

Bicycle Race – Queen

Coming up Easy – Paulo Nutini

Crazy Little Thing Called Love – Queen

Down on the Corner – CCR

Don’t Stop me Now – Queen

Electro Boy – The Mighty Boosh

Everybody Ona Move – Spearhead

Fat Bottomed Girls – Queen (personal anthem)

Hello Bonjour – Spearhead

High Hopes – Paulo Nutini

Honky Tonk Women – Rolling Stones

I Want You – Bob Dylan

I Will Wait – Mumford & Sons

Jenny Don’t be Hasty – Paulo Nutini

Just a Friend – Biz Markie

Killer Queen – Queen

Last Request – Paulo Nutini

Little Lion Man – Mumford & Sons

Love Games – The Mighty Boosh

Might Tell You Tonight – Scissor Sisters

New Shoes – Paulo Nutini

No Bonez No Blood – Jah Sun                                       

No Other Way – Paulo Nutini

Pencil Full of Led – Paulo Nutini

Rehab – Amy Winehouse

Shanty Song – Jonathan Edwards

She Said Yes – Mumford & Sons

She’s So Cold – Rolling Stones

Shut up and Dance – Arrowsmith

Simple Things – Paulo Nutini

Somebody to Love – Queen

The Tundra – The Mighty Boosh

Top O’ the Morning to ya – House of Pain

Travelin’ Band – CCR

Under Pressure – Queen

You’re my Best Friend - Queen