Running

I ran. FYI, running with good shoes is a whole different experience. Yes, it was difficult, and yes I sweated a lot (assisted by 70% humidity), but I didn't feel like my legs were going to fall off at the end of it.

I did the first step of the Couch to 5K program, which is a 5 minute warm-up walk, then 8 sets of 60 seconds running, 90 seconds walking. It's kind of like very, very slow intervals. I warmed up by walking down the hill to the Brown stadium, then ran around the track, then walked back up the hill home. I timed myself via my iPod, which was difficult as I was jostling around so much.*

One thing I noticed that was nice is that by interval 6 or so, my breathing was calming down more rapidly and I was raring to go again by the beginning of the 60 seconds. Also, I would glance at my iPod and notice that I had, say, 5 seconds left, but I would decide to go to a certain mark in the track instead and make the interval last a bit longer. I only did this when I was running, not with the easy walking, so the moral of the story is I was pushing myself rather than cheating. Always a good distinction. I guess my internal competing with myself thing is still there even when I'm not swimming. Good to know.

Here's my pretty picture:

After taking this I did a bunch of crunches and planks and did 10 whole push-ups! In a row! I know! I was shocked too.

Here are my new GIGANTIC shoes that don't cripple me so I love them:
(The fact that they're brand new and GLOWING white really accentuates the hugeness)

*I was talking with Jason yesterday about how I really want a heart rate monitor to time myself and to keep track of calories burned and all those little numbers I love so much. I just got a bonus at work and while the bulk of it is going straight into savings, I'm going to set aside a little to buy myself something. I've wanted a heart rate monitor for, oh, about 2 years, so it's probably time.