Thursday, February 11, 2010

What I've Learned About Running

  • It takes a lot of time.  Especially when you're as slow as me. According to my Nike shoe chip; I've already spent over 16 hours running. That doesn't even include the time it takes to go to and from the gym, stretch or do abs. 
  • I have no idea where I get the time to do it.  And yet somehow I feel like I have more free time on the days that I run than on the ones that I don't.  If you asked me to find 3 hours per week to do some new activity- I would tell you that you're crazy! But somehow there is always time to run.  Maybe my Nike shoe chip has some secret flux-capacitor capabilities?
  • It's not a great way to lose weight.  Running 15 miles a week burns less than half a pound a week, and that's assuming that I don't succumb to my post-run cravings.  I have lost a little weight since starting running- but it's 99% due to watching what I eat, and 1% to the calories I burn running.
  • It makes me better at EVERYTHING else I do.  I pay more attention in lectures, I have more energy and concetration during rounds, and I have more time and energy to give to my patients.  I can tell whether or not I ran the day before based on my mood at 11am the next day.
  • It's not even worth trying to run after an overnight shift at the hopsital.  Waste. Of. Time

4 comments:

  1. It looks like the widget is working!?

    Yeah--I do NOT lose weight running. I tend to overcompensate--"Oh I ran 3 miles I am going to eat 14 cookies."

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  2. are you running with scalpels? Sorry, couldn't resist that comment. Woohoo for the way our bodies work. Bodies like to be worked. Activity breeds activity. Lethargy breeds lethargy.

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  3. Rach- The widget is sort of working. It only updates if I add a comment about the run. So from here on out my runs all have the comment " " (two blank spaces). I don't know why it's so silly.


    Mom- I agree! I read a book a while ago ("The Power of Full Engagement") that made the argument that your overall energy level (physical and emotional) is like one big muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets and the longer it can last. So doing more everyday, makes your overall 'energy muscle' bigger.

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  4. I agree--running does not equal weight loss for me. When I'm in full running mode I make more Twisty Treat stops than ever. My reward system usually involves ice cream of some sort. :)

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