Week Three, Day One

I did not want to run last night. After finishing up a roast chicken dinner, birthday cake and a glass of wine all I wanted to do lie down and enjoy the memories of all the yummy food. And cake. And wine.

But this is birthday week. Tomorrow is Hank's birthday and this weekend we celebrate both Elisabeth's and Hank's again, with family. That's four cakes in one week. How in the world can I not run with one cake behind me and three in my future?

Both weeks one and two were heavier on walking times than running times. But not week three. Now the running is equal with the walking portions. It requires ninety seconds of running, ninety seconds of walking, three minutes of running and three minutes of walking. Repeat.

I'll admit it, I had trouble with the first three minute running stretch. I was going uphill and I think I ran too fast during the ninety second run. I was winded by the end. But during the second three minute stretch I found my groove. I experimented with my stride quite a bit and discovered that by intentionally lengthening my stride I could still cover a lot of ground without having to run very quickly. I admit this sounds obvious, but my natural inclination is to take short, easy strides. Those long strides strain muscles I didn't know I had, but in a good way.

In any event, I made it. I easily ran a half-mile last night, no small feat for a non-runner like me!