Do you stretch BEFORE working out?

I never have, but it appears I may have to now.  Today, I was not really looking forward to the C25K work out, but I still wanted to do it - if that makes any sense.  So I got everything all ready.  Water bottle - check!  HRM on and working - check!  Good to go!!  Check check!!

Started off doing a warm-up walk at 2.8mph for 5 minutes.  Next, I started jogging at 4.5mph.  I started feeling the lung burn and wondered if I was going to have to cut it back to 30 seconds instead of a minute.  But no, I was already 55 seconds in - why stop now?!?!  So, back down to 3.0, then 2.8 for the 90 second walk.  Then 7 measly seconds into the jogging portion, something stabbed a hot poker iron into the back of my left calf!  Ok, not literally, but it sure felt like it.  I couldn't even walk it off at 2.0 mph.  So I stood on the outer rails of the treadmill and waited for it to stop.  I walked (barely) over to a chair and sat.  I tried massaging the calf muscle a bit, but the pain didn't subside.

I hobbled up the stairs and grabbed the ice pack out of the freezer and a couple motrin.  Sat for a few minutes with my leg up and the ice pack under my calf - feeling extremely frustrated.  Uugggghhh!  Why?  Why now?  Seriously?  Those are the thoughts going through my head.  For the first time in my adult life when I actually WANT to run, I can't?

So, the old me - the one who use to work out like crazy, drop the weight, then gain it all back again because something in life happened that made me lose focus - that person, would use this as an excuse.  THAT person would say "Well, screw it!  Apparently I'm just meant to be fat."  And quit working out altogether.  And quit eating healthy just for spite.

But this new me - this person who is determined to, come hell or high water, lose weight and live a healthy fit lifestyle - THIS person will not quit!!  I WILL NOT QUIT!!

Maybe I went too fast too fast.  I felt ready, but maybe the ol' body wasn't.

Maybe I shouldn't have tried to go from 5 years of barely running to walking for only 5 months then trying to run again faster than before.

Maybe I shouldn't run on a treadmill where I can't change my speed at the drop of a thought.

Maybe I should try warming up, then stretching, THEN running, then walking, then stretching some more?

I'm not sure what the problem is, but I know the solution is NOT to quit.  I'll baby my calf for a week and keep taking motrin, then try easing into it again.

I'm still frustrated, but at least now I have a plan.  Oh and turns out, as I'm writing this post and researching pics, that maybe it's not my calf per se, but possibly the achilles tendon?  Here's a pic... green spot = size and location of my stab wound pain.  Center of the back of the lower leg, I was thinking calf, but who knows?

Feel my pain?

Outside of that, my day was good.  Ate well and still drinking water.  Have I mentioned lately that I haven't partaken of the Weekly Wednesday donuts in SIXTEEN WEEKS!?!?

Also, I started taking the new meds I mentioned yesterday.  I forgot the thyroid pill, I'm going to have to set a reminder at work and on my phone for that one.  I'm so accustomed to taking meds at night that it's going to be difficult remembering a morning one.

I wish the doc had never told me that I should be feeling tired.  Today, while I did only get 5 and half hours of sleep last night, I felt tired all day long.  You think it was psychosomatic?  I do.  Somebody, please tell me that I ought to feel completely energized and the doc is full of crap.  Maybe I'll start feeling all hyper lol!!

Well, that's it for now.  Hope your day was happier than a camel on Wednesday =P