Monday, September 8, 2008

Pros and Cons of Running Outdoors

Thanks for all my props on the race. When I said it was small I mean it was SMALL. We didn't have race numbers, just stickers they asked us to wear on our shirts. I happened to lose mine without even realizing it until they asked for it at the finish line. There were no pictures taken and most of the people there were students, parents, or teachers at a private school who started this race as a fundraiser for the athletic department. But hey, it's probably the best place I'll ever get so I'm basking in my glory! Anyhoo, on Sunday my race training called for a 4-5 mile run after racing. I thought my legs or knee might hurt, which they did, but oddly enough running made them feel better! What's up with that??? I started my run around my neighborhood since I wasn't sure my knee was up for running. I have mapped out several routes around where I live so I thought I could estimate 5 miles. I don't have a fancy running watch yet. So I left my house at 10:05 and ran back into my kitchen at 11:00. Ack!!! I was confused. How did I run 5 miles in 55 minutes? My pace is usually faster than 10:00 min. miles. So what did I do with my compulsive self, I drove my route to measure it. What I thought was 5 miles was actually 6.1 so I was a bit happier with my pace. The good news for me was that I actually felt good the whole race. Many times when I run, I get tummy aches or shooting pains in my collar bone area. Not yesterday. I felt like I could have kept going, but I had a party to get to. Speaking of the party, no cake or ice cream, but I did have a few handfuls of chips. Pretty successful for me since normally if I eat one chip, I standing by and devour the whole bowl the rest of the function.

Well, while I was running I was making a list of pros and cons for running outside vs. my treadmill. So here is what I came up with:

Pros- Seeing the colors of nature...the green grass...beautiful flowers...live trees..crystal clear water.
Cons- The smells of cut grass kills me...seasonal allergies plus I have a thing with smells when I exercise.

Pros- Seeing different animals in their habitats...geese flying over head...a squirrel trying to catch a nut...baby bunnies running for cover.
Cons- Dogs not on their leashes that I'm afraid will chase after me and bite me in the ass!

Pros- The variety of views I get to see instead of my basement walls
Cons- Roadkill!

Pros- The view of the beautiful weather
Cons- Getting nailed in the face, arms, and legs with bugs of various sizes

Pros- It's more challenging running on streets for me than my treadmill
Cons- I feel nervous and eyeball any man in my near vicinity ready to gouge out an eyeball if need be

Biggest Pro- Time flies when I'm running outdoors!
Biggest Con- Not having a bathroom 20 feet away!

How about it runners? Have anymore to add to the list?

4 comments:

Kate said...

Congrats on your what turned out to be 6 miles, a great run, especially after a race!

I love running outdoors, and now that I have, I honestly loath a treadmill and the thought of having to run on one, especially the thought of having to drive somewhere to use one!

I just love the sights I see on a run, the other morning there was a caterpillar scurrying across the road in front of me.

I'm with out on the creepy men, even cars moving down the gravel roads I run on kinda scare me, I'm always worried about someone trying to abduct me. It's better now that I run without music though.

Marcy said...

I'm all about running outside. Rain, sun, snow, whatever. I have a TM that collects dust. I think I've used it once ROFLMAO.

BeachRunner said...

Nice job on your 6 miler. I like your list.

I love outdoor runs for all the obvious reasons, but also find the TM useful for base building (running at a steady and comfortable pace) and to avoid extreme weather and allergens.

Keep up the great work.

N.D. said...

Great job with the chips - and that's so funny you went and drove the route to get the mileage, hahaha.