First Runs and Other Adventures (Stacey)

Hola compadres!

As I mentioned in my previous post, I will be adjusting this running schedule by doing the first week twice and forward a day (I wanted to do my long runs on Friday instead of Saturday). So, in other words, today was my first run. Because I feel like this is a story best told in the long form I will be babbling on for quite some time. If you want a short version, skip forward to the "**" I provided so kindly for your convenience. :)

I woke up at 10 this morning (WOOOOOOO for the earliest I've gotten up voluntarily all summer), and quickly realized that I did NOT want to run today, but unfortunately there was no way around it. (NOTE: I've been sick with a cold since Wednesday and am just now on the tail of it.) As I walked around trying my best not to be a zombie, I went outside and realized that it was indeed a wonderful running temperature and after I checked weather.com, it became apparent that I would have to get out there sooner rather than later to enjoy it before some storms came in. Fast forward through me eating some cereal, checking email, charging my ipod (although finding a cord was exciting), finding my running stuff (YAY for school stuff still in boxes . . . ), and stretching out.

I collected my dog, Ginger, because I figured she could use the exercise as much as me, and we headed out the door together by about 11:15. Yes, I am aware that it takes me longer than it should to get up and around in the morning, thankyouverymuch.

My house is 2 tenths of a mile away from a curve, which is exactly a mile away from an intersection, so I walked to the curve and then started jogging. (Can I get a hoo-rah for country "blocks"?) Ginger was really pulling on her leash, which is pretty normal for walks and I took it as a sign that at least one of us was ready to run! In retrospect, my dog is about as good at long distance running as I am, and will NOT be coming with me on any run longer than 3 miles. 2 miles was bad enough. . .

While we were walking to the corner, she stopped to "do her business" about 3 times so I (foolishly) figured she would be good for the next twenty minutes or so. HAH! We both did pretty well for the first half mile or so with the exception of a mild stomach cramp that went away quickly for me and Ginger getting distracted by small animals in the ditches/fields/'woods' that we passed. By the end of the first mile we already paused but I, like the quality runner I attempt to be, jogged in place while she did what she had to do. We crossed the road to start running back and Ginger re-heh-HEEE-ly (said like Dr. Cox from Scrubs) started dragging me, in the opposite direction as before. She stopped and I jogged in place at least 5 times on that third half mile. Saying I was annoyed would be an understatement.

At the 1.5 ish mark, Ginger pulled me to a stop again and I just gave up for a little. I put the brakes on and when she was done walked for a bit out of sheer frustration. During this minute (ish) of walking time, I started thinking about how un-stellar my run had gone this far in terms of how I was feeling and how slowly I was going and I decided I was not going to add shortening the run on top of that. And I didn't! I ran to the curve and a little past it to make up for my whiny walking break. So I did run 2 miles, to my best estimate anyway, although it was interrupted a tad by pessimism and annoyance.

Poor Ginger was really struggling by the end of it, but she hung in there with me and we both made it home in one piece, although she's been sleeping a lot since we got back.

**SUMMARY** My dog went with me on my run. She made me stop a lot (during all but one of those breaks I kept moving). Ran 1.5 miles, walked less than .1 and then ran my best guess of another half mile.**


So yes, I did my first run, and I'm pretty content with myself about it all. I timed it from when I started running to when I stopped the second time and it was about 28 minutes. I figure that if you took out Ginger's brief pauses I probably ran it in about 26 or so. Which is not super fabulous. At all. My cold might have played a role, but nonetheless I have a long way to go.

Thanks for bearing with me through my story (and all the parentheticals), I hope you found it at least marginally entertaining.

Stay well, my friends.