I didn’t manage to hook up with Mia, but I did make it out for a run/walk on Saturday. It was my first real attempt at running for a long long time, and I’m pronouncing it a success.
I wasn’t sure how far to go or how to structure it, but I just headed out from the house heading along the running trail nearby. The way it’s set up, you occasionally have to cross a road, where there may or may not be traffic. So what I did was run to the first road, then walk the next section until I reached the next road, and then run again, etc. etc. Same thing on the way back. It’s sort of similar to something I used to do while running called fartlek (which is Swedish for “speed play” and actually has nothing to do with breaking wind). Bottom line: I ran about a mile and walked about a mile.
May I just say it was hard? Despite my new shoes (which, of course, make me faster, just like I used to believe as a kid), I plodded along, feeling super heavy. I could feel my excess stomach flab bounce, and my ass certainly jiggled, too. I saw lots of others — most faster than me but at least one at my pace — chugging along, too. Having done a marathon and triathlons, I have this memory of how running can feel, but it certainly doesn’t feel very good, yet.
Today (Monday), I’m feeling it, and in a very good way. We still haven’t fixed our darned treadmill, but we did get a lot done this weekend, which feels good. Hopefully we can get the treadmill thing done soon, so I can continue the running/walking during the week.