Addiction – the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit forming, as narcotics,to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.
Try not to get too excited – this isn’t a post about bad addictions. This is a post about good addictions. I think I may have discussed one of my addictions early on in my blogging history, cross stitching. I have been cross stitching for almost 10 years now and started in medical school. When I go several days (or weeks) without stitching, I get ever so slightly anxious, like something is missing in my life. Once I do a few stitches, the anxiety goes away. I know its ridiculous, but aren’t most addictions?
I am almost embarrassed to admit this, mostly because I secretly hated those who seem to love doing it (well, not really), but I am starting to like running.
Okay, that’s not really true.
I am getting addicted to running.
There, I said it. It’s the first step in acknowledging the addiction, right?
Since my last blog post, I have done 5 runs. The pain is subsiding, the endorphin rush is increasing, and while I haven’t gotten on a scale to look at my weight, I am noticing very subtle changes in the way my clothes are fitting. I’m getting my tone back. I’m getting my energy back. My sleep has been rock solid on the days I run. I am counting the hours to my next run. I haven’t cracked the 5 km mark yet, but I am thinking it is only a matter of time.
I probably shouldn’t even talk about it, lest I jinx myself, but so far I have had no injuries. For a newbie runner who has never run before, I don’t even know if I’m running the right way. It’s been mostly pavement running, but for the first time 2 days ago, I ran on the boardwalk by the lake. I noticed at about the 3 km mark, that my left foot was going numb, specifically across the plantar surface of my foot (in laymen terms, the “balls of my foot”). I had to stop to walk the rest of the way. My girlfriend who was running with me suggested it might be due to the boardwalk as it was a new surface for me. I also noted my calf muscles were particularly tight during the run as well. Interestingly enough, I had no issues the next morning or the day after (today), so I wonder if it really was just the surface we were running on. I suppose it might be a good idea to go to a running clinic to make sure I’m doing this all correctly. Tonight’s run is going to be on pavement again, so it’ll be interesting to see if I get the same symptoms.
So there you have it, I have a new addiction.
Could this be in my future?
Woo Hoo! Running addiction snags another one! YAY!
Yes indeed! I have succumbed. But better for me to be able to run from the zombies, no?
Cracking the 5K mark last night was awesome! I am totally getting addicted as well. And you are totally right about the zombies 🙂