Running is like walking, only faster.

Atleast that is what I tried to tell myself when I knew my weightloss and get well journey was on a roll. Trying to run when I was overweight was really painful. So I naturally thought the less I weighed the less stress there would be on my joints. But unfortunately that has not been the case for me. My hips, knees and ankles continue to hurt regardless. I do think that structurally I was not designed to run. I am flat footed, I have knock knees and my back has arthritis, not the best combination for a runner, but nonetheless I shall continue to forge forward to reach my goal. Things in the running department just have to be at a slower pace for me.

After the 5km Fun Run I was in pain for about 4 days. Ibuprofen and Paracetamol were my new best friends. Whilst I was up and walking slowly things were somewhat manageable, but when it came to sitting down or trying to stand up - that was a different story. My muscles would seize up totally and trying to stand on sore joints made me wonder if this was truly worth it. But after four days rest, my brain cells rehydrated themselves and I began to think straight again.

During my bootcamp sessions we would always start off with a warm up run and most times we do running inbetween activities. So when I started getting shin pains I thought, "give it a chance, things will come right". So I continued to push myself and I am now on week 3 of NO RUNNING. Please take heed, listen to your body. I didn't and now I feel like I am behind the eight ball. This triathlon is drawing nearer and my running, not great to start off with - is now probably worse than ever. I know my legs need the rest to recover, but running is such a unique discipline I feel like I am going to be a total disgrace on the day if I don't get cracking on the training. "Patience young Jedi".