The run was: 10 minutes of walking, 6 minutes of alternating 1 minute walking and 1 minute jogging, then 4 minutes of walking, for a total of 20 minutes. Since it's Saturday and I don't have to work, I was able to sleep in a little instead of waking up at 6:30 to run in the dark. The weather was sunny but cool -- perfect fall weather. I ran on the streets in my neighborhood, but I guess I miscalculated the route. By the time the four-minute cool-down was over, I wasn't as close to my house as I thought I'd be, so it ended up being more of a 30-minute workout once I finally got to my front door. Nothing wrong with that.
I downloaded two helpful (and free!) apps to my Android phone to help me out with my running:
- MapMyRun, which helps me track my route. It tells me how many miles I've gone, how many minutes, average speed, current speed, etc. At the end of the run, I click "Save" and it uploads the information to my page online so I can keep track of total miles run over time. Also it'll help me see my progress as I (hopefully!) get faster. Today's distance: 1.95 miles.
- A HIIT Interval Timer lets me pre-program the workouts as "intervals". When I click start on the timer, I don't even have to check the time to see when I need to start running or walking; the app buzzes and beeps when it's time to switch. For example, today I programmed three parts. First was the 10-minute warm-up walk. Second was the intervals: three rounds of 1 minute jogging and 1 minute walking. Then the last part was the 4-minute cool-down walk. Easy to use and makes it super convenient to just plug in my earphones and go!
In the past I've had some pains due to running. I had shin splints during my freshman year of college (about 9 years ago) that made it extremely painful to walk. Thankfully, a helpful running store employee examined my feet and told me I had flat feet. I started buying the right type of shoe for my foot, and knock on wood, the problem hasn't returned since then. And last time I tried running, several months ago, I got weird hip pains that only went away when I bought new shoes. I think part of the hip pain had to do with sitting in a chair all day (accounting is not a very healthy profession) and not stretching out my hip flexors enough. This time around, I'm going to make sure I stretch regularly, not just before and after runs. Anytime I'm sitting for long periods of time, I plan on taking breaks every 45 minutes to an hour, to do a nice stretch of my limbs.
I also like the fact that this running program starts very easy and works up gradually. Today, for example, I only really ran for about three minutes total. This does not seem like a lot at all, but I'd rather start extremely slow and build up at a slower pace than jump in too quickly and end up hurting myself or burning out.
I also like the fact that this running program starts very easy and works up gradually. Today, for example, I only really ran for about three minutes total. This does not seem like a lot at all, but I'd rather start extremely slow and build up at a slower pace than jump in too quickly and end up hurting myself or burning out.
I think that's all for now. They say the first step is the hardest -- here's to Day 1!
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