running--not just for crazy people anymore!

or maybe I've gone crazy :) Byron and I have signed up to do the Warrior Dash in September, and it occurred to me that in our gym-going efforts it would be good for me to try running. The event is 3.23 miles long, with some rather challenging obstacles along the way. I think the obstacles look like fun, but the 3.23 miles -- eehh. I've never really run much, it just never really seemed very appealing.

I move slowly, and in fact I like moving slowly. I see way more interesting stuff if I'm moseying down the street...little cats hiding behind cars that will come to me if I make noises at them, bugs trundling along the sidewalk, birds singing in the trees. Unfortunately, if I mosey during the race I'll likely end up with a finish time of several hours; generally, during the course of several hours I need to use the toilet at least once, and spending several hours in soggy, muddy clothes and having to pee probably is *not* one of the keys to an optimally enjoyable Warrior Dash. So then..

After our workout we usually do 30 minutes of cardio. Lately Byron's been trying to teach me to play squash (lesson two this past Sunday: still trying to hit the ball) in lieu of the cross trainer. Tonight I decided to run til I couldn't anymore. With Patrick Swayze singing "she's like the wind" in my mind, I triumphantly managed 13 minutes on the treadmill. To be fair, it wasn't really running. I did intervals, one minute at 3 miles/hr, one minute at 4 miles/hr, so it was more like 'hurrying' interspersed with episodes of 'scooting'. I also managed about 30 seconds at 6 miles/hr at the end, which is really what made that the end. Hey, when you've got a 24 inch inseam, 6 miles is a lot of ground to cover in an hour :P

I'm hoping that with each attempt I can improve something; maybe speed up the hurrying intervals, or make the scooting intervals longer, or the overall time longer...the potential for improvement is vast!