Blogging as a distraction

I'm waiting for my lab mate to get out of her meeting so we can pass our cells. This meeting is going on 2 hours now. I found some work to do, but not enough. Part of my plan to overcome habitual eating is finding distractions. Harder said than done. I check my Perez Hilton, People.com, Facebook, and the Washington Post. I go to the bathroom. I refill my water bottle (this is indeed critical, so I stay full and hydrated). I do a few sun salutations (yoga) to get my muscles warm. I plug in some headphones and rock out. Then what?  So I blog. This time about running.

I have tried to like running so many times. It has never worked. I have tried to take it slow, not push myself too hard. Tried running on treadmills, on outdoor trails, on indoor tracks. I always develop shin splints which force me to quit running for long enough to lose interest.

So this time, I spent almost $170 on new running shoes (Asics Gel Forte) and a pair of SuperFeet in Berry insoles to give me arch support. They are taking some time to break in and currently make my feet feel sore and tired, but I no longer have an empty feeling at the inside of my foot where my arch is supposed to be. I also am making a conscious effort to land on the middle of my foot. Breaking the marching band habit of "rolling my feet" was hard. Turns out, I over-corrected and was "prancing". I think I have finally figured out how to run with mostly proper form.

The other change is that I'm following a structured program. I am using a Couch-to-5K app on my iphone. The first week begins with a 5 minute warm-up, which I start at 3.2 mph and slowly increase to 3.5 mph. It then alternates 60 seconds of running (5.0 mph) with 90 seconds of walking (3.5 mph) for 20 minutes. It ends with a 5 minute cool down. Between my new shoes, new running form, and following a program, the 30 minutes seems to breeze by. My calves are now the sorest muscle after working out, not my shins. I know I am going slower than the average human being, so even at the end of the program, I won't be running 5K. However, I really hope to achieve the following running goals in this order:

1. Run with proper form and proper equipment. - Check
2. Don't get shin splints. - In progress
3. Complete a Couch-to-5K program in the allotted time. - In progress
4. Run at 5 mph for 30 minutes straight.
5. Run 3 miles straight.

If I can run 3 miles in a single session several times a week, that will be excellent exercise to add to my weekly regimen. And when the weather gets better, I can run with Jon on the extensive trail system down the street from our house. Free and fabulous exercise!