Like Running With Scissors - Stuck in My Leg!

All right, so I have been feeling really good about myself this week. See I do exercise, but I never really take it up a notch and push myself. Not this week - I decided, inspired perhaps by the upcoming Boston Marathon, to do a little (accent on the little) more.

I live near a pond and there's a lovely, albeit steep hill that leads down to it. So feeling super-energetic one day this week, I decided while out for one of my brisk walks that during a couple of my loops I would walk part-way down the hill and run back up. And you know, I kind of liked it! I felt energized, powerful, a little like a super hero!

Now I have never liked running, just ask my high school gym teacher. It's always hurt and it just was too hard for my less-than-enthusiastic body. Walking and aerobics classes worked just fine thank you very much.

So this morning, instead of sitting here writing (which I say has never injured me) I was all excited about going for my walk/run. For the first time it's actually warm, and I couldn't wait to get out there.

I walked for about five minutes (I should make clear I didn't stretch beforehand which may be important to know later in the story) and walked down the hill. I was smart though, on this first-go-round I walked back up the hill, even so my shins felt a little weird, but being the jock I am (yeah, right) I walked it off. Okay, so round two, I strode down that hill and ran back up, and ended up with the most painful muscle cramp in my calf that I've ever experienced.

Since I'd managed to walk off the shin splint or whatever I'd had before, I thought, okay, I can walk this off too. Uh, not so much.

The fact that I hadn't stretched was now not lost on me as I limped around my neighborhood, periodically stopping to lean on a mailbox to stretch my leg. I kept looking around for potentially mocking glances from neighbors, but thankfully no one else was out yet.

I assumed that after I got home, rubbed it for a minute or so and stopped moving it would go away. I was wrong. Here I sit an hour and a half later and it still hurts. I've stretched, I've rubbed and I've whined, none of these efforts has helped.

I'm torn between feeling frustrated by the fact that I was really having fun doing something new, and now I've injured myself so I don't know when I can try it again, and utter embarrassment. Seriously, people run 26.2 miles and running up a hill of about 30-40 feet has sidelined me. What a wuss!

I don't like it when my body rebels against me, I'm not very patient. But I will try to be kind to my screaming calf muscle and treat it kindly so I can try my ascent up my own "Heartbreak Hill", however paltry it is again soon.

I know I'll never commit to running a marathon, but I would like to be able to walk through my neighborhood without ending up limping and in pain. That doesn't seem like too much to ask.