Run 1

Well...here we go. I'm in the new place and I'm surrounded by a new quiet that I'm starting to get used to. I still feel that itch..."find something to do, find a distraction, what's next??" But I scratch it a hell of a lot less often than I used to and that's a good thing. What it leaves me with is a lot of down time. I've used this time to chill and get things settled and most importantly bond with Chase. I found myself exhausted after week 1 of being a single parent again. I've also found that I am totally ok with the aloneness that this new place brings. It's a really good feeling...today. :)

So with down time comes the need for a "hobby". My old hobbies were umm...not so healthy to say the least, so I've been in the market for a few new ones. Knitting?? nah. Scrapbooking? blegh. Reading? Well this one is good, and would just be an extension to an already good/healthy hobby I have in my love for books. This old hobby, and the inspiration from a friend, both lead me to a book called The Complete Book of Women's Running. In the past week I've torn into this book. It's an easy read and it answers so many questions that are common to people who have no idea where the hell to start when it comes to putting their feet to the pavement and just doing it.

I'm certainly starting as a beginner. I'm following the book as close as I can, and I've set a goal for myself. It's part of an 8 week plan...

Week 1 - 30 minutes
10 min. walk
10 min. walk/run - alternating 2 min. walk/2 min. run
10 min. walk

Tonight was my first night. I was very surprised! For one...my feet hurt like HELL. I have good running shoes that are made for the type of runner I am (learned that in the book too), but damn. Running hurts my feet. I also realized that I have GOT to stop smoking if I'm going to take this seriously. My chest was a combination of coldness and fire with every deep inhale of oxygen. Not a good feeling. Lastly, I did better than I thought I would! I didn't bring a watch, and my ipod was dead, but I had two friends beside me to cheer me on as I ran two laps around the small track here in our town. I did (roughly) the 10 min. warm up and cool down with a short run in between. I'm thinking it was about 3 minutes of non stop running but it wasn't timed and I didn't alternate it with walking for that middle 10 minute block. It was still a success though! Now, thanks to those two friends, I have a stop watch that I'm going to start using to make sure I meet my weekly goal(s). My ipod is charging now and I'm ready for another trip to the track tomorrow. It's only day 1...and I have a LONG way to go, but I'm ready. I felt powerful and healthy and motivated tonight. I hope it stays. I'm going to try to use my blog as a journal of how everything goes, but I'll post other life updates as well. Here goes nothing!