I am in the Army National Guard and running is a necessary part of my military career. Every drill weekend, I am expected to stretch, run almost two miles and perform cool down exercises. Thanks to the running habits, the military has encouraged, I have created some running habits of my own. My husband is also in the military and together we discovered some reasons why you should be talking about running.
One of the reasons he and I started talking about running, is because of our love for bananas. He used bananas for other reasons, but along with applesauce, we discovered they both burn more quickly. They trick the body into believing you just ate a full breakfast; subsiding the feeling of being hunger. The military discourages eating prior to working out because some become sick from overexertion. Nonetheless, I have to eat breakfast each morning. Breakfast awakens my body, so I was so pleased with the affects applesauce and bananas had on my body. To make our runs more exciting, we took pictures of each other while in motion. Those pictures of each other sprinting, showed both of our feet were off the ground at regular points during running. Did you know that running requires, twenty-six bones, thirty-three joints, one-hundred-twelve ligaments, network of nerves, tendons and blood vessels, all in the feet, to work together? I would love to see the muscular and cardiovascular system work, when someone is running.
We noticed that after each run, we felt more refreshed, rejuvenated and wanted to run more. That feeling resulted in brief conversations, which we realized we are faster runners now, than we have ever been or ever will be. Thanks to the military, we have learned the benefits of compression shorts and socks. Since they work so well, I purchased a sports bra and compression top to help with stability when we are running. I have noticed a decrease in my running pace, since I started wearing them. I also noticed that I run well with music playing and changing scenery. I am an environmental runner and the sounds of nature or the music in my ears, help me keep a good running pace. With music playing in my ears, my one mile time has decreased and I am encouraged to use those 200 muscles that make up one step. Meaning, when I alternate running and jogging, I take 156 steps in one mile. Multiply those numbers together and I will have taken 31,200 steps in one mile. Finally there are plenty of ways to make running exciting, such as running trails, running with groups, mud runs, and paint runs.
I guess these are good conversation starters, when you are amongst other runners. I did not know about many of these until I began running. I feel healthier and more alive than ever. Share these topics with others and see if you can photograph both of your feet.
Photo Credit: Kevin Dooley
April 25, 2014
Pat’s Run Trading Cards – Victory!