The start

A few weeks ago, Rich and I were discussing the half marathon held at Disney in the fall. He seemed enthusiastic about us actually running it until I reminded him that it starts at 10 PM, which if I wasn't suffering from 5+ years of sleep deprivation would work in my favor. I've always preferred running at night. I am not a morning person and I have much more energy at the end of the day.

I was reading an article in Runner's World magazine after that discussion and I was suddenly inspired. It's been months and months since my last run and I miss it. I miss pounding away my frustrations. I miss feeling fit and strong. It has just been so hard lately to come up with the energy to actually get out there (or on the treadmill) and push myself. And I hate to say this too but sometimes I'm discouraged by the fact that I'm not very fast and never will be. It is sometimes uninspiring to read running blogs written by fast runners.

I like to start my running week on Monday. And that's exactly what I did last week. I dug my running sneakers out of the downstairs closet and fired up the treadmill Monday night. I fear an overzealous injury so I started off slow and ran only 1 mile. I did walk one lap (.25 miles) first as a warm-up. Our treadmill isn't calibrated but it felt like I was running between 10:45 - 12:00 minute miles. (I start off slow and increase with each lap.)

It is what it is.

I did another mile on Wednesday and another mile on Friday. My hips hurt during that first run but I've felt fine otherwise. I didn't wake up with noodle legs or pain the next day. I definitely feel like I can run more but I'll slowly increase my mileage so as to avoid injury. I've also been doing crunches, which my doctor says is okay even though my abdominal muscles are separated. The separation begins right below my sternum and extends past where my belly button used to be. My doctor told me that it can only be fixed surgically but I have read that there are other methods (such as certain exercises) that can help decrease the separation. I haven't done any research on this though. (I'm sure it will say that what I'm doing is wrong.)

Each time I pick up running, I become more lax in my training. My goal now is to simply run 3 (maybe 4) times a week. I'm not going to obsess over every mile or my time. It is what it is. Rich and I are looking into a 5K or two this spring. I'm not sure how that's going to work with the girls though. (In the past, he has pushed the three of them in our triple jogger.)

If you were of a certain age in 2001, you may enjoy my playlist. And to keep it like it's 2001, these are from CDs that I burned specifically to listen to while I ran on the treadmill back in the day.

• Everlong - Foo Fighters


• Rat in a Cage - Smashing Pumpkins


• Lazy Eye - Goo Goo Dolls


• Casual Affair - Tonic


• If You Could Only See - Tonic

So I don't plan on becoming a running blog but I will share what I've been doing from time to time like I've done in the past. I also want to throw this out there for those who are newbies to running - wear real running shoes. Don't wear the sneakers that you've been wearing to the gym. Go to a real running/sports store and get fitted. There are different types of sneakers for different body types and feet.