I went to the gym to run today. Completed two runs of 2-minutes each. However, I then had to stop because I was having shin splints so bad I didn’t think I could even continue walking. This makes me very sad. Runner’s World indicates this is a common complaint of beginning runners.

Some people say that the first step is the hardest one. I disagree, the hardest part is steps 2 through 10,000,000.

Went to the gym this morning. I’m going to need to work on a new morning routine. As in, the alarm went off at 4:30 and I didn’t leave the house until 5:10, and that’s having packed my bag and laid out my clothes beforehand. I need to get a new electric razor so that I can shave on the way to work – I dropped my PocketGo and damaged the foil.

No improvement this morning, not that I should expect much on the second trip. Actually my legs were still a little sore and so my 90 seconds of running were more often interrupted by leg pain than by being out of breath.

After stretching and abs I did a couple of laps around the gym. That might be a nice alternative to the treadmill sometimes.

To advance to week 2 of my program I need to be able to jog for two minutes. That’s not the case this week but maybe by the end of next week. I should start watching for a 5K in mid-April.

Last night I dreamt I was running. Today, after work I went to Peak Performance to get a new pair of running shoes. I didn’t want to start running again without new shoes, and I didn’t want to buy new shoes until I’d paid down my credit cards. But to heck with that. This is my third pair of running shoes, and they’ve all been Brooks. I’d wanted to try something different this time around, but I’m pretty much limited by what’s available at Peak. And in my size they’ve got Brooks and New Balance, and I haven’t been digging the New Balances lately.

I didn’t want to waste any time trying out the new shoes, so I loaded up the nano and went to 24 to try them out. This time I tried a Podcast program calling Running Mate. It’s an 8-weeks-to-5K program, though it might take me longer. The first week has 2 minute running intervals, and I can run for only about 90 seconds at a time.

When I got home I was energetic and hungry, so I made a smoothie. This is a modification of the Abs Diet Strawberry Field Marshall Smoothie:

1 little cup of Activia Light strawberry yogurt
1 cup of skim milk
1 tablespoon of peanut butter
1 scoop of protein powder
a good handful of frozen strawberries
a frozen banana
6 ice cubes
It makes 2 big servings. (Probably close to three 8 oz. servings)

In my dream I ran swiftly and gracefully. On the treadmill I was panting and loping. I’ve got some training sessions to use that Meagan gave me for Xmas. I think I should tell the trainer I want to become the runner of my dreams.