Cathy

I've got possibly the most absurd motivation for taking up running, like, ever.

If a man ever says to me, "Nice to meet you, Cathy, I'm the Doctor. Now run." - I need to be able to keep up. I realize that the likelihood of this ever happening are vanishingly small. Like "divide by infinity" small. But it got me to put my running shoes on. (And really, it's no weirder than the "run from the zombies" people, right? right?)

And meanwhile two of my twitter friends were starting a "pre-C25k" program, for couch potatoes so spuddy they can't manage the 1 minute of running per interval that the standard first week calls for. That was, well, about my speed. Right now I weigh probably more than I ever have in my life, and most of my exercise recently has come in the form of typing really fast. I've tried C25k in the past, and was making progress with it - I don't even remember why I quit - but a realistic assessment of my current state says I need to start from before zero.

Today I managed this: 5 minute warmup walk, stretch, asthma inhaler puff, 8 intervals of (25 seconds jogging/2:05 walking), stretch, walk home. (The asthma inhaler puff is an essential component, unfortunately. With it, my lungs are good for the whole session; without it, after the second interval I'll be curled up on the side of the road gasping for breath. In general my asthma isn't a problem anymore but there are limits.) This is essentially the same thing I did on Monday - but I got half a block farther. That's good, right?

I probably need to research more effective stretches. I couldn't lift my legs when I was done.

My plan is to add 5 seconds to the running interval M/W/F for the next two weeks - and then the following Monday I'll be ready to start the official Week 1. (I should also look into some non-leg activity for T/Th/Sat.) I'm not going to weigh myself - I get obsessive about it. I'm not going to measure myself - if I lose inches that'll show in my clothes. My only criteria for "success" here is going to be completing the program, eventually.