Getting Zen with a Side Ache

Patience is something we practice at our house on a minute by minute basis. Right now, as I type, my four year old is screaming on the couch because she is upset about naptime (among other things) and is hoping her tears will magically unlock a parental door to that unattainable fairyland where all wishes come true the very moment you dream them into existence. It isn’t that different from my impatience with (among other things) my lack of experience with this running gig.

FACT: At some point in your journey to the runner’s high (aka “fairyland where all wishes come true the moment you dream them” it stinks to be a runner past a certain window of youthful ambivalence to body ache and pain.

Which brings me to the topic of today’s post…the side ache or “stitch.” Now I know that people of all ages get these little sons of bitches at some point or another in their running regimes but I also know that the inexperienced runner (the shallow breather, the older than most that start the pursuit of running from scratch and the more impatience among us) is more prone to this pitiful condition. Needless to say, the side ache was the bane of my four mile run this morning.

It went like this:

Group run starts fine minus almost getting hit by SUV minutes after being reminded by a police officer in our training class on the rule of safety. Rule #1 – Car always wins. About ½ mile into the run, side ache begins. I attempt to breathe more deeply…but of course my old friend common sense instinctively reminds me in its sarcastic tone, “Wow, Kim…you really think you can breathe more deeply while gasping for air at the same time?” So I try to slow down without affecting the time/space continuum…I mean sometimes I do fear if I slow down any more I could actually be in reverse. So then I give in to the idea of walking a few paces just to get my breathing in order and get passed by a running classmate from the Y. Sigh. Run again. Get to campus drive...ache not gone…walk again for a few steps…get passed by yet another running classmate from the Y (there are only about 12 of us…I mean, really…the odds). Not that I mind getting passed by my Y classmates…after all if you read the preceeding post they are inspiring and so on but do the two that attend these training group runs actually have to catch me walking…totally stunk. Then I decide to try the mental strength thing…you know that Jedi mind trick crap that people refer to as “mental toughness” or “heart” like that  Rudy kid from Notre Dame. Anyway, the point is…I push through. I start running again. It got a little better. Then some nice women that run at my pace caught up to me and I had a distraction. They talked and I listened. It was great. I could see the light at the end. I actually (still with ache in side) enjoyed myself (especially when I saw my car). I made it. Four miles.

At home I looked up how to get rid of a side ache while running…I got everything from drink more water to breathe deeply (yup) to a complicated rhythmic breathing while putting down the opposite foot of the side that aches on the exhale type coordinated effort (if you followed that…I applaud you). My main lesson learned was I will not fail if I keep moving forward even with an ache. And if I’m really getting good at the patience thing I will be able to avoid a tantrum in the middle of the street and actually enjoy the journey to the finish. Good stuff.