Running

As I have mentioned in earlier posts, while I have been walking to work, Russell has been running for his exercise. Last week it rained a little too much for my liking, so I didn't walk a single day. Russell, on the other hand, had good luck finding dry mornings. This week, it is really starting to get hot and humid at the same time. I am avoiding all contact with the outside. The mornings (like, say, before 7am) are still fairly cool, though. I have no real need to arrive at work an extra hour early, so I decided to join Russell running. He has figured out a route that goes up past the zoo, through a park, and ends up at a track. He introduced me to it on Sunday last week, so I agreed to follow him up to the track at a slower pace.

I should also mention that Russell has been using PodRunner. PodRunner is a podcast (kind of like radio programs on demand for your ipod, if you are unfamiliar with the term). The basic format is alternate running- and walking-paced techno music with handy little chimes to tell you when to run and when to walk. The podcasts graduate up. so for the first week you listen to the first one - 30 minutes with only short running times scattered in between longer walking times - and then after one week of that, you start week two- which consists of longer running periods and shorter walking periods. Eventually, this gets you up to running a 5k and beyond. Russell is doing about 3k now, and I just started today.

Results? I felt no fatigue whatsoever from the running - the running periods were really very short to begin with - but I have definitely been able to feel it in my legs all day. I also need to remember to drink lots of fluids the night before. I went running even though I already felt dehydrated, and I've been battling a headache all day. All in all, it seemed to be a success, though. I'm looking forward to trying it again on Wednesday.