The Long Road

07/31/2003 Archived Entry: "Jogging"

Well, I’ve pretty much given up on biking as a form of exercise. It’s just way too difficult to keep up a good pace on a bike for 30 or so minutes; I always have to stop at traffic lights, avoid cars and pedestrians, it’s just not worth it. It’s also too easy to cheat and not peddle for a bit.

What I’ve taken up instead is jogging. It’s easier to keep a constant pace and my heart and lungs really get going just after a few minutes. When I first started I found it really hard to find a rhythm that I was comfortable with, I was either running too fast or too slow. One of the first times I went I did a circuit in about 30 minutes with a ton of energy to spare at the end. The next time I did it in 10 but was completely drained before I could get back to my house. I think the important thing is to start out real slow to warm up your body and by the end you could probably sprint another hundred meters. If you start off too quickly you’ll obviously burn yourself out really fast. The beginning is always the hardest though, as I started running last night I almost felt like stopping after a few hundred meters but kept going for another 20 minutes. I think that when I felt like stopping was equivalent to when a car changes gears. It’s like my body kicked it up a notch and it really tired me out right away but as I kept going I got more comfortable with the higher heart rate.

What really helps is having someone to run with. When I was still figuring out a good pace for me I ran with Sarah and found her speed to be a very comfortable one. It also helps to run with someone cuz if they’re not stopping then I try to keep going for as long as they do.

The only down point about jogging is that it’s bad for the joints – especially my under-calcium’d joints. I just do lots of stretches and am careful with how much I move my ankles so they don’t really bug me anymore.

Replies: 3 comments

i had to run laps when i played soccer. this was a good atmostphere to do it in, cause we went around the field in circles, and we got pretty spaced out so even if you're running slower than others, you're always around people. running with someone else does help a lot. it gives you teh incentive to keep going. i think it might apply to sprinting with someone else too. i know the few times that i've tried running by myself, since i've left highschool and the soccer team, i stop after a couple minutes of it. there's no incentive to maintain that speed. the competitive and cooperative edge that you get with running with someone else is missing.

Posted by shawnathan @ 07/31/2003 05:07 PM EST

When I tried running with someone, we found our constant talking was a real drain on our oxygen intake. Then we had a bad experience with bellies full of milk one day and that was it.

Posted by Romer @ 08/01/2003 01:50 AM EST

I usually jog alone. And I don't like talking to people so never get distracted with conversation while running with someone =D

Posted by Rayne @ 08/11/2003 06:47 PM EST