Sunday, October 10, 2010

Running away

Last night I ran a mile in a half. (I aimed for two, but ya know...) If you haven't read this post then here's a "twitter" version: I get awful pains on the sides of my stomach and have had this problem since I was 15. Recently the doctors told me there's nothing wrong with me. 

While I was running, the pains heavily kicked in. These pains are not short enough that you could simply ignore. Even while my ipod was blasting in my ears, my mind was distracted by these pains. They feel like knives are going in and out of you. Worse than cramps, ladies!  Today there are no stomach pains, however my thighs are not happy with me. 

I'm here to present a goal. Since I commit to Blogger, I will confirm my goal to you guys. My goal is to keep running till these pains go away. I can't live with it anymore. The doctors didn't find anything, yet the pain still exists! I believe I can run these pains out of me. But don't ask why it took me this long to figure out.

Sincerely,

Lettuce Head

14 comments:

  1. Run like the winds of freedom from pain.

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  2. i think that's a great goal. good for you! i was a runner for a big chunk of my life, and one gal i used to run with suffered from a similar problem. she started doing a ton of sit ups every day, which really helped. so maybe strengthening your core would help? i bet you could google this problem and find a lot of advice and suggestions for possible fixes for this.... good luck!!!

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  3. Good luck running! I think it's a fantastic goal to have, you'll feel stronger and more alive and not to mention you'll reap the rewards! All us bloggers will be giving you endless amounts of praise!

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  4. Good luck with it, and do let us know how things go.

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  5. There is a pain barrier with running, give it a handful of runs and youll be just fine :-)

    What about yoga/tai chi to supplement your running efforts ?

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  6. I run a lot myself (4 miles a day) and, like you, I started doing this a few years back when I changed my diet and wanted to be super healthy. At first it was very painful, and I could only run 1.5 miles a day -- of which most of that was fast walking. But I would get sharp pains the developed gradually on my left and sometimes my right sides as I ran.

    But after weeks of keeping to my routine and getting my stamina up, the pains eventually went away. Nowadays, I'll still get them once in a blue moon . . . but I noticed this is usually caused by bad posture when I run. As soon I feel the pain coming on, I snap back into focus and correct my form and the pain goes away.

    Also, I noticed that breathing in through your nose and out your mouth in a slow, controlled fashion as you run makes the side pains go away after a few minutes. If you find yourself rapidly breathing in and out through your mouth while you run, this can cause those pesky stitches in your sides. So the key is sometimes just controlling the rate of your air intake.

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  7. The very best of luck Lettuce! If it was me . . . well, let’s be honest, it wouldn’t be me. Not running.
    The enigmatic, masked blogger strikes again

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  8. I have to run b/c I need to lose the 12 pounds I've gained since moving to France. Cheese? Bread? I may just eat your head, Lettuce Head!

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  9. Have fun running! It's my best create-a-story or work through a problem time.

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  10. Nevets - Thank you, I will!

    Sarah - Great advice. I should be taking advantage of google while it's here, lol. I'm going to start doing sit ups then. I appreciate your comment.

    Jen - Thanks! I'll be too shy to receive any praise, even behind a computer screen, so that's alright - as long as I do this and keep it up!

    Botanist - I will update on this once the pains go away. Who knows when. Thanks for the luck, I need it!

    Ruairi - I've taken a yoga class at school, I think I will do it again. It was a lot of fun and it helped a lot, though I rarely went back then. Thanks for the suggestion.

    David - Yay, someone relates! Maybe that's not a good thing? I seriously wanted to fast walk the whole thing, though I kept strong. I did begin this whole goal by fast walking too because I hadn't exercised in years and I didn't want to just jump in and pull something, ya know? I would fast walk for 30 minutes, so when I jogged it was killer! The fast walking didn't bother my stomach. Also, you mention that it may have to do with posture. However for me, it hurts less when I lean into my knees, instead of becoming straight. That's when it hurts most! But thank you so much for the tips.

    Mask - lol, oh Mask. Thanks!

    Samantha - Oh my, I love cheese and bread, especially together ;) Good luck to you!

    Jolene - I may have one of those moments then!

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  11. Poor Lettucehead! Good luck with running the pains away-but be careful OK? Do NOT overdo it!

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  12. I get pains when I run too. Right now, due to a car accident some years ago, I can't even walk very far without pain.
    I'll check back for you animal POV post.
    Nancy
    N. R. Williams, fantasy author

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