What A Pain!

I've completely fallen in love with running again! I feel like Forrest Gump!

My legs feel like they could run forever, but I am getting the WORST pain in my side when I run. It's always on the right side, which I thought was weird. I always thought side aches had something to do with lactic acid build up or something, so I stopped drinking milk, only to find out it has nothing to do with milk! Then I thought maybe it has something to do with being properly hydrated before a run. I tried drinking more water, no result - less water, no result - a bottle of wine...no result!

I had to get to the bottom of this problem, so I decided to put on my glasses, (I find they immediately up my IQ by a good 10 points) and do some hard core research. AKA type in "side aches" on google. Popular subject, I should be able to find something helpful on at least 1 of the 1,480,000 sites that are available.

There seems to be some debate over the cause of side aches, something to do with eating or drinking too much or not enough blah blah blah, something to do with internal organs being bounced all around, apparently the liver is a heavy organ. When it comes down to it I don't really care too much about the cause, I want solutions!

I found a very long article, I remember in college if my papers were longer I got a better grade, so I thought this guy must know what he's talking about, he must have gotten good grades in college! His best solution was BECOME A BELLY BREATHER .....whaaaa! Pushing my belly out is something I NEVER do, especially when I'm running....in public. The last thing I'm doing in my hot pants and sports bra, running down the 101 in Southern California, among the hundreds of 'token hotties' is push my belly OUT! When I'm out there I'm sucking it in so hard that I could actually pass out from lack of oxygen!

Here is the other solution I found during my 20 minutes of hard core research....just run through the pain. Don't quit running the second you feel like your body wants to double over in pain. Don't start walking, don't be pinching your side, or putting your arms over your head, don't do it! Just keep running! Run through the pain, embrace the pain. This is your mantra: No Pain No Gain - or loss in this case. Keep running and tell yourself over and over my side feels fine, I feel fine! To be completely honest, I have tried it. The first time I tried it the mantra did not work so well and my side did not feel fine, I did not feel fine, but eventually I ran through the pain. I ran through the blinding light of radiating pain that shot up from my liver and I came out the other side unscathed. It worked! Life is pain highness, anyone who says otherwise is selling something. Deal with it, and run through it!