The best-laid plans of mice and zzzzzz

[thistlechaser]

For the last couple evenings, I've been logging off my computer earlier to get more pre-bed reading time in. Step one of that plan works surprisingly well (logging off earlier), but step two (reading longer) keeps falling through. My brain seems programmed to go to sleep after an hour of reading -- when I start reading a half-hour earlier, I go to sleep a half-hour earlier than my usual time. It's very odd and surprising.

I'm back to running. I had to take some time off because I pulled something in my leg. Idiot me one day decided to run without any stretching at all (I was angry and just Didn't Want To stretch). I spent a week after that limping around, then started to feel better so tried running again, but it hurt from the first step so I stopped and gave it another week. I still get little twinges of pain in the muscle, but it's held up through two days of running, so I guess it's okay.

I feel almost like I'm lying when I talk about running, because I measure in minutes, not miles, and it's not all that many minutes (YET). But everyone has to start somewhere, and I spent most of my life thinking I would never be able to run, so I'm happy even for the little bit I do.

I know it probably sounds strange, but when I was heavier, that's the one thing I felt my weight was holding me back from: running. I was happy enough with all my life and what I could do and not do, other than I really, really wanted to try to run. (130+ pounds heavier and even walking hurt my knees, running was NOT an option at all.) I thought I'd die never being able to run, so I'm really quite pleased I can do it now.

Hm, I seem not to have a "sleep" tag, so I guess "so very tired" is it, even if I'm not all that tired...

Comments

[isiscolo.livejournal.com]

Yay running! And minutes is good. Just keep it slow and easy, and you'll be able to build up without injury.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

That's my goal, yep! Little more each time. :)

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

I want it to cool off here so I can go for a run again. It's just been so freakin' hot and I have a low tolerance haha.

I've been doing the go to bed and read thing too! It's really thrown me off on my LJ time haha. BUT I did manage to get through two books much faster than I had been. It is hard to stay awake though, especially on busy work days where I am already drained...I think it goes to show how much these glowing screens keep us awake and how once they are gone we start to fall asleep quicker.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Agreed. I bet I could get to sleep really early, early enough to get eight hours, if I logged off even sooner. It's just so hard to give up online time...

Sorry about your heat! I go at 7 AM, so it's still nice and cool here, even if the day gets hot later.

[ashmedai.livejournal.com]

Ouch - I hope that heals up soon! Of course you're not lying! Where is it engraved in stone that running has to be measured in distance, and not minutes?

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Yeah, true. But one day I'll be able to run enough that I'll be happy with the distance. (I don't even know what my goal is, but I'm sure I'll know once I hit it!)

[teaandfailure.livejournal.com]

Girl, you aren't lying. You are running! It's good that you are starting out with not a lot of minutes, you are less likely to get injured that way. It is awesome that you can do it.

You also did the right thing resting the injury. Running when something hurts just makes you adjust your stride, and then you injure something ELSE because your stride isn't normal.

And then you end up not being able to run for 3 to 6 weeks under doctor's threat of rupturing your Achilles.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Good point. :}

And yeah. I'm trying to be really careful about not running when it hurts, because having to wait even longer for it to recover (or worse yet, see a doctor about it) would be so much worse. Oddly(?) my doctors aren't very enthusiastic about me running. They keep recommending walking instead. If only walking got my heartrate up the same way!