Getting better all the time.

Originally J and I planned to go running yesterday, but we both were so wrecked from the circuit workout that we decided to take a day off. It was a good decision, because I could barely walk all day. I was pretty floored that my legs were so incredibly weak, with all the running that I have been doing, but I suppose your thighs really do get used less than you think when you barefoot run... it's the calves that do a ton of work. In lieu of exercise, I finished painting our new living room and moved all the furniture from the old living room to the new living room. I was joking with myself about how lifting and moving the television is like doing a dead lift! Only with a TV! Once everything was moved I pretty much collapsed on our couch and watched TV until J got home from work.

This morning we got up and we went running before the sun made everything too terribly hot. I mapped out a new course for us to run. Our goal is to run a 5k by the end of the summer, so J suggested that we actually start run/walking a 5k distance. I thought it was a good idea, and it's good to change things up, so I mapped out an all-street loop near our house that is a little bit more than 5k. It included the quarter mile walk to the park that we normally do as a warmup, so once we got there we started to run. The run was fairly flat for the most part, although there were a few parts that had some decent hills. There also was a fair mix of sun and shade. We made it to a street corner that marked 1.79 miles of actual running before we stopped and walked the rest of the way. I timed our running and, although I forgot to hit stop when we were finished, we were at about 19:16 for the entire run. It's about a 10:45 mile... slow, but not bad I think. I really am more focused on distance right now than time, so in that regard, I am very pleased with my progress:

Date	Initial Run	Total Run
5-31-11	0.29 miles	?
6-7-11	0.4 miles	1.04 miles
6-10-11	0.6 miles	1 mile
6-15-11	0.77 miles	1.12 miles
6-20-11	0.8 miles	1.15 miles
6-28-11	0.7 miles	1.12 miles
7-2-11	1.33 miles	1.33 miles
7-5-11	1.48 miles	1.48 miles
7-9-11	1.79 miles	1.79 miles

Basically, what everyone has told me so far is true. Once you get past your first mile, it becomes progressively easier to add on mileage. What was interesting for me today was that I have moved past my lung capacity being what slows me down. I could have kept running today; I wasn't out of breath when we stopped. J was quite out of breath, but what was bothering me were my calves. They were much more sore than they have been before. I need to make sure that I am careful, and don't overdo it with my legs now, since I've been so careful. I think once I can actually run 5k, I am going to try to improve my speed. Because after all, if I sign up for a 5k and do it, it's a race! So far today my foot doesn't hurt at all, but we will see how it feels later tonight after I start cleaning and washing dishes.