Learning to Run...

So I have decided in my many moments of Mommy solitude,... the ones where there are no grown-up around to carry on a conversation with (a side effect of being on mat leave and living in the boonies) that I am going to learn to run! Also there is quite a bit of extra padding around now that wasn't there prior to little Miss Payton!

Inspired by my best-friend of all time, after originally beginning to train for a marathon to run with her family. They ran it in Hawaii a while back in support of Cancer research. She has now moved on to become a personal fitness trainer, as well as continues to run on a regular basis, and looks more awesome and healthy than ever before in our lives!! I'm not sure that was correct grammer however it is what I would say if I were talking to you in person! Haha...

So in my pursuit for a new and healthy me, I have purchased a new pair of runners, good ones for the first time in my life (yes I'm normally a very cheap person when it comes to shoes!!), as well as one of the 'Nike+' sensor things (for only about $30 or so). It is basicly a new age version of the step counter. I received an ipod Touch for Christmas from my lovely husband (who spent way too much on me, and all I got him was a stupid key chain from the Breton drugstore... although Payton was only a few weeks old when Christmas came this year, and I wasn't getting too far from home... he told me that I gave him the best gift and to not worry about getting him anything...aaaahhhhh how sweet.... the keychain was still a pretty bad gift from me.... hahah), anyways back to the ipod... well this sensor just attaches to my shoe and built into the ipod is this program that automaticly reads and records the information from my workouts. It's pretty cool! Then it uploads to the Nike website, and I can track my progress like distance, calories burned, number of workouts, that sort of thing. You can also set goals, use the 'Coach' (I'm in training to 'Walk to Run'), and join challenges, its kinda like a game... neato... its keeping me motivated to keep going out, despite the stupid wind and bad weather we have had the past little while. I have to make sure to get out there so I can update my status... its cool... and not too hard so far... also this is the first time in more than 10 years that I have exercised without smoking (been quit for just over a year)... its kinda a nice feeling!

Thus far (I started last Saturday) I have "run" (I say it like that cause it is mostly walking so far... haha... did one interval session where I run for 1 minute, then walk 2, run 1... so on...and much to my surprise I did survive!)... so I have "run" in 6 workouts, for 2 hours and 25 minutes, a total combined of 13.42km, and burned 1013 calories (although it doesn't take into account hills and different terrain... plus I tried to puch the stroller through the gravel one time... I didn't make it far, but I'm sure I burden a lot more calories than it said I did)!! I think that is not too bad for my first week as someone who is exercising for the first time in a long time!

It is going well so far, and I sure hope I can keep it up in hopes that one day sometime near in the future, I'll get to go out and buy a new pair of jeans in a smaller size!! Hey maybe I can even learn to run a marathon sometime!