Hey all, another update on my running (which I affectionately refer to as "Fat Man Falling Forward")...  I had a really good and surprising run this morning! 

So far, I've been trying for the following routine: 10 minutes walk (warm up), 15 minutes running, 5 minutes walk (cool down).  The walk is a fast walk and is about as fast as I can walk without actually running or looking like a complete freak.  Sorry, but speed walkers kinda wig me out and I refuse to be categorized as one.  ;)

My short term goal is to actually be able to run the entire 15 minutes of the running portion of my workout.  What normally ends up happening is that I start running, manage a decent pace for about 3 minutes, then have to walk again for two minutes before I pass out (I'm exaggerating, but you get the idea).  I can generally do that three times in my 15 minutes and I'll survive it.  Sometimes I'll even pound out one extra cycle if I'm feeling exceptionally motivated.

Well, this morning was completely different...  I managed 7 minutes running, two minutes walking, then another 7 running. :)  The pace was pretty much the same as usual too, so I wasn't just running slower (which isn't really possible anyway). 

I don't know if it was because it cool, humid, early in the morning, or I'm actually getting that much better, but it was quite a surprise to me to be able to manage that.  I might change my goal a bit and see if I can extend the first running cycle by a minute each run until I can work up to the full 15 minutes.

A long way

Another interesting thing about this morning is that I did nearly double my usual distance.  I normally do almost half my workout in one direction, then turn around and do the rest of it to return to my starting point. 

This time, I wanted to finish off my running portion without interruption, so I just kept going.  So, I did 25 minutes in one direction, then turned around for the last 5 minute cool down fast walk.

That put me a long way from the start at the end of my workout.  So, I just took it easy and walked back... a little slower than my usual "workout walking pace", but faster than a plain ole walk.  Took me about 30 minutes or so.

In total, I was nearly double my usual distance and well over double my time.  A good day!  They may be few and far between, but I'm pretty sure it's going to be a good thing to cherish them when they happen.