running

My relationship with running, as in outdoors on the pavements where people in cars stare and judge, is much like that with a favourite book or movie - you get really into it, spend lots of time on it then stop and come back to it occassionally. It's not to say that I stop exercising in my non-outdoor-running periods but I just get a bit lazy and bored of the same old routine, I really like running but after a while it becomes a chore instead of something I'm excited about.

I've noticed that after my runs, which generally last about 30 minutes (I stop about halfway and walk parts of the way home) I get cold-like symptoms, before it was a blocked nose and now it seems to be chesty coughes. I've looked this up on the internet and apparently the blocked nose would come under exercise-induced rhinitis and the chesty cough, exercise-induced asthma. Another thing I have noticed is that after an intense 2 hour workout at the gym I feel fine, tired, but otherwise healthy. Maybe this could be that there are just more pollutants in the open air and since I live in a town-turned-city, running on pavements would mean that I breathe in a lot of the fumes from passing motor vehicles. It could also be that I don't run as much in the gym, but I doubt it because I typically spend 15 minutes on the treadmill, and I walk at least 8 minutes of the outdoors run. This is going to stop me from running, laziness will, but I'd just like to figure what this is so I can get more drugs (I'm on stuff for acne and recently-ish developed hayfever) to fix it and completely nullify the purpose of my immune system clearly.

Also, I tend to notice with running is that I often go at what would be considered inapporpriate times of the day. Sometimes I would go around dinnertime, thus pushing back dinner and ruining my night-time routine, around lunchtime or like tonight (last night since it's 1am), late evening - tonight was 10:45pm and before during school time I liked to go around 9pm. I don't know, the reasoning for the late evening time is simple, since it's summer now, it's too hot to run in the day so night is the logical answer, also, night provides the cover of darkness so passersby can't see my sweaty grossness or easily see that I've stopped and am now walking around in shorts when it isn't shorts weather.

That's the one issue I have with running outside. Despite the fact that plenty of people do it, I feel self conscious and that people are judging me. I exercise in short shorts (I'm 16, it's ok) and a tshirt or vest top. Most runners I see are usually in leggings, 3/4 lengths or some men like to wear short shorts for men (mid thigh). So I guess some people may be thinking: 'it's cloudy and not that warm, why is she in short shorts?' but I can't exercise in leggings and 3/4 lengths are unflattering (yes. I care, I don't even ever tie up my fringe because all my hair pulled back is disgusting) and don't even get me started on knee length. I don't understand how other people can run in leggings, are they not pushing themselves enough to warm up? then why would you want to trap all the heat in with full length bottoms? No. That's illogical and stupid. Or I just lack modesty, at least with my bottom half. (I've been told that I wear too short shorts and skirts but it's my life and I'm comfortable). Although I have to admit, maybe that time when it was around 12 degrees, evening and raining, short shorts weren't so smart. Especially since I came back with red itchy legs, which I proceeded to scratch and the marks stayed for days. Except for that though, I stand by my clothing choice and people need to realise that STARING IS RUDE, and makes me a bit uncomfortable, especially coming from an old man.