I tried running!

"I really don't think I need buns of steel. I'd be happy with buns of cinnamon." ~Ellen DeGeneres

Well, for a while I have been going over and over my daily schedule. I have to fit exercise in here somewhere. For a long time, my mom and I would meet to walk the mall every day, in front of Barnes and Noble, 9:00 am, after the kids were off to school. It was great! We both felt healthier, lost a few pounds, and got to gab. She now watches my brothers kids, and because of their ages, it is hard to continue the habit.
I let it go as we moved, and now that we are settled (for a while), I feel that need to get moving again. But as I've looked over my schedule, it seems I can't find an hour to walk like that anymore. I would love to put Monkey D, my 2 year old, in the stroller and go as soon as the kids are at school, but she has discovered that she loves to climb out of the stroller while it is in motion and it makes it VERY hard to go anywhere.

SO, Trev suggested I get up a bit earlier than my usual 6:45 am, and try running in the morning. That way I could burn a few more calories in a shorter amount of time than walking, and I could do it without the kids.

For those of you who know me, you know I don't run. I don't like to run. I hate running. As a kid in middle school, I always wondered how the others could run that mile track without their sides cramping up and their faces turning red and their lungs burning. Because mine did! In college, my sister and I had P.E. together for one semester. I'm sure she remembers the final 1 mile jog we had to take that measured our progress from the beginning of the semester. She took pity on me, and didn't laugh as I barely made it around. I think she may have even stopped timing me so I wouldn't be embarrassed with the outcome. What a good sister.

I like other sports, and am pretty good at some of them, but running would be at the bottom of my list of favorites.

ANYHOW, I decided I would try it. Three days ago I got up at 6:10 am, and started out. It felt pretty good. Maybe 2 minutes later, it seemed to be getting harder. I ran a total of 10 minutes and headed back home. Luckily Trev was there waiting for me with a smile on his face. "Good job!" he said. I think his comment and the fact that I felt a little more energy all day made me get up again the next morning. This time Trev went with me and we made it about 15 minutes, walking the rest of the way. Trev runs, so he was nice and stayed with me the whole time. As we returned home, I got a hug and more praise. I felt pretty good! A little progress from the day before. Yesterday my legs felt a bit sore, but it was that good sore where you feel all your muscles, making you more aware that you have them, and making you want to continue that awareness.
This morning, I slept in. I was tired, it was rainy. But, the good news is that as I sit here typing this, I actually have the urge to go out and run again. That is SO strange for me. Maybe I can continue to progress in this. I think I will make it a goal. As you can see I am starting out very small.
I'll let you know how it goes.