No Pain, No Gain?

So, I'm sure you have head the old expression, "no pain, no gain" right? It is commonly been referred to in the past by people promoting exercise or activity...maybe on an infomercial or something else equally silly. Well, I'm here to tell you it is a bunch of malarkey! Don't buy it! Or the product the dude is selling! I admit that this initially sounds legitimate - plus it rhymes. If you sacrifice and work hard and experience the "pain" then you get the "gain" that exercise provides (more energy, toned body, losing weight). However, I have since learned that you should not feel sore after activity. Of course there is the initial muscle soreness and tiredness that happens especially when you just start an activity, but there should not be chronic pain or injury associated with continued exercise.

Cut to my running. I have recently been experiencing soreness in my calves during my runs and today was so bad that I had to quit early, which made me mad! One part of me wanted to push through it, and hold fast to the "no pain, no gain" myth, but I remembered the other, more powerful mantra "listen to your body" and quit after mile 2. I'm trying to cut myself a break about stopping early and not beat myself up for it. It honestly was not an excuse to quit early! I'm such my worst critic. As I limped my way back to the locker room and back to my office, one my marathon-runner colleagues suggested that I should probably get new shoes. I've had them since July and the running stores suggest getting new ones after 6 months. Ooops. The weird thing is that I didn't even think of the problem being with the shoes. I immediately thought it was something I was doing wrong or not doing right. That damn critic again. Interesting. Yes, I think a trip to Second Sole is in order. Hopefully then the only pain left will be in my checkbook.