Run Three: Out of the Neighborhood

All my running stuff. The little nubby foot massager ball in the middle is my best friend right now. 

Because of some exceptionally tricky weather today, I have no idea when I'm going to get home from work. So I decided to bring all of my running stuff (see photo above) and go out for "Run" Three on my lunch break.

First and most important: My goal for this run was to run all 60 seconds of at least five (of eight) running intervals. I achieved it! :D

I'm two for two on this goal-setting thing. My goals aren't especially hard-ball at this time, but they are a stretch for me. I was really pushing through the fifth of the intervals. I also, for the first time, ran more than half (quite a bit more) of all of the running intervals.

I am not ready to move onto Week Two of the Couch to 5K program, but I may not need more than one remedial week at the Week One level.

C25K app log of today's run. The GPS track looks like
dog smoking a pipe.

I was very shy about running at lunchtime at work -- my office is very near to the United States Naval Academy (just a couple of blocks away) and there are often groups of young, fit and healthy midshipmen running on the streets around here. And then there's me -- middle-aged and one run away from looking like a waddling duck, right? It would have been hard to feel part of the Secret Runner Society.

(Though how awesome if I'd gotten The Smile in return.  I may have to rethink being shy.) 

Jogging around my office building and its associated parking lots also had me at risk of being seen by coworkers. I'm not really ready to discuss this running program with my coworkers  yet. I want the habit to be more solid and maybe to be running at least as much as I'm walking.

I succeeded in achieving my goal for the run, but I had some shin pain again today -- it seemed to come up worse when I was walking than when I was running. I'm not sure what to make of that.

I don't *think* it can be attributed to my shoes -- before my first run, I went to a specialty running store and got the shoes in the picture above. They're New Balance Something Somethings (last year's model so they were on sale). The very nice folks at Road Runners fitted me and analyzed my gait and made me a pair of custom insoles and everything. I tried on like five pairs of shoes and liked these the best, though I don't *love* them.

Maybe I should have held out for True Love.

I can exchange them up to 90 days after I got them, so I have quite a while yet to decide if I want to go back and look for that True Shoe Love. :D

Next run is scheduled for Wednesday. Goal for the run: Run all 60 seconds of at least seven of the eight running intervals. (I thought about going for all eight, but decided to keep the goal more achievable in the interest of having fun.) If I can do it without my shins hurting, I'll be extra happy. And I'll be overjoyed if I can do all eight.