Just Get Out!

I did manage to get out for a run yesterday. My breathing was awful. I'd forgotten how being hypothyroid makes my laryngeal issues worse and it felt like my throat was trying to close up each time I inhaled. I had to take a LOT of walk breaks just to catch my breath. My legs felt pretty much as I'd expect them to feel after 2 days of rest: sluggish. Honestly, the first 2 miles was an exercise in persistance. In spite of being absolutely miserable for the first half of it, it did get better once I hit my turnaround and I felt better for the rest of the day. I felt better than I have for several days in fact. Sometimes I need that dramatic reminder of how much my mental and emotional states benefit from a run. For the rest of the day and evening, my mind was in a better place, my body felt better, and I was definitely in a better mood. Obviously I need to heed my own advice: just get out there and run, you'll feel better once you're done.

In hindsight, I think that most of my "hypothyroid signs" are more likely due to running withdrawal than to my hormonal state. This is a big part of why I run actually. No matter how stressful a day I've had, how tired I am, or how much I just want to crash on the couch, I've only had a couple of runs that when I was done I regretted doing them. The overwhelming majority of the time, I finish with a smile and a better outlook on my day. Maybe this is why I try to encourage new runners to stick with it. Once you get to the point where you recognize the mental and emotional boost, you keep coming back to get your fix. I never would have believed it myself when I started running. Me? Hooked on running? Ha! For about a year, I'd dread each workout. I'd drag myself off of the couch to go to meet up with the running group at IRC just to avoid the questions of "where were you last night?" One day, a rest day, I realized that I didn't WANT to rest. I wanted to run. That was a turning point for me and most of the time, that feeling is there. Yesterday reminded me why.