Humbled: Re-revisiting the C25K

Last October just before my favorite race of the year, I developed a sharp pain in my hip. I stopped running and waited a month or so for it to subside, and it only got worse. Two doctors visits and some negative x-rays later, I found myself in physical therapy. My IT band had reached "maximum tightness" according to my physical therapist. A month or so later I was feeling better, and decided to put Jay in charge of the massage portion so that I didn't have to continue to pay someone.

When I tried to go back to running I was greeted by extreme shin pain. The muscle in the front of my shin, Tibialis anterior (the one that lifts your toes), refused to do so. I had to stop running after just a couple minutes and massage it before I could continue. I've had this before, and upon looking at my log, it seems like it has been whenever I've taken extended time off. I finally admitted to myself that it was because I was doing too much too fast. A hard realization to come to when it happens after 2 minutes, since it's a time so short.

I've never made it past "amateur runner", with a 1-time maximum distance of 5 miles (which hurt a LOT), so my base mileage wasn't enough to see me through injury. This wasn't the first time I'd gotten here either. I love running, but somehow my participation in the sport waxes and wains. Sometimes it's pain, sometimes it's the weather.

It's time for me to take up the Couch to 5K program again. As difficult and frustrating as it is to come to this realization, it's better than my other choice of "I'll never be a real runner". By this point I'm a third timer to the C25K. I can't remember why I had to start over last time, but it was a few years ago.

So I did my first run today, running intervals of 60 seconds and walking 90, while listening to Steve Runner's podcast episode about the C25K, hoping it would make me feel better about starting over. His reprimands regarding skipping ahead were just what I needed. I will be able to run on the deck of the Disney Magic in a few weeks, I'll just have to walk some of it too.

Anyone else want to become a runner? again? Check out the C25K.