First Run!

So I've been "running" a few miles on the elliptical for the past week due to the horrendous heat that has settled over the DC area but today the heat dropped down to a cool 90 degrees and I figured it would be the day I would move the running outside.

My first problem was that my elliptical running didn't exactly translate to my outdoor running. I'm sure the elliptical is great cardio and has improved my "heart health" (I think I got that term from the back of a cereal box) but that is about it.  I have to admit though, I am awesome at the elliptical. If I was training for an elliptical half-marathon I would be ready in less than a month. I can keep up a steady 5mph pace for an hour with no problem and I watch old Project Runway episodes on the TV and enjoy my time alone. Plus the climate control in the basement is awesome. Somehow, I didn't count on moving my runs outside to be a big deal. I guess you could say I was in for a little bit of a surprise.

I started out around 8am with a two mile course planned. For extra laughs I decided to bring the dog with me. I figured she could use the exercise as well and I wouldn't be going very fast. Plus, we were keeping to pretty flat terrain. I switched my course a little bit, as I wanted to avoid running on the main roads. I just was not ready to run with an audience of judgmental drivers with nothing better to do than heckle my running.

As we got started I was surprised the dog, with her full winter coat still hanging around (note to self, make groomers appointment asap) and her questionable heart did as good as she did. She didn't pull on the leash, she didn't try to stop to pee on anything, and short of a goose sighting that got her excited, she kept a steady pace. Actually, I did great too. I never stopped running and did it in about 15 minutes or so. I walked in the house pretty proud of both of us. Yes, it was hard, and I worked different muscles, I was sweating like a pig, the impact was strenuous (not from bad knees, but rather  from what can best be described as being "top-heavy") and dodging the hefty amounts of goose poop down by that little lake wasn't easy, but our first run was under my belt and I felt great.

I made my way upstairs to calculate my exact distance. That is when I realized I didn't stick the my original route that involved running on main roads that I had planned out the night before. It was like my confidence was an over-inflated balloon that popped as I found out that I had only run just over a mile.

Oh man. A mile? Just a mile? I'm supposed to be able to do 13x that amount in one morning? My 15 minute time was no longer impressive and my stamina seems questionable. But I guess you have to start somewhere. Thursday's forecast and my ego might require more elliptical time..  We'll see how it goes.