From (near) the couch to 5k

So, I’ve started doing this little running plan that I heard about from Seattle-area knitter, photog, chef and runner Rebecca. Basically, by the end of the 9th week, you should be able to run 3 miles in 30 minutes.  Not terribly remarkable, except that it’s just a good solid amount of exercise if done a few times a week. There are two reasons why I’ve decided this is my exercise plan. First, it’s cheap (I’d rather spend my money on plane tickets and beer). Second, if I could keep up with Paul, then neither one of us will have an excuse for not exercising, no mater where we happen to be.

Day one was too easy, since I’m not exactly starting from couch, so today I decided to kick it up a notch. And it was hard.  Paul reminded me that actually, it’s supposed to be hard, otherwise I’m not making progress.  Oh right. Duh.

Go look at my running route, if you need a good laugh.  Keep in mind that the goal is to stay inside the park for as long as possible, without running the same path or having to cross a street.  Avoiding streets is just to keep me safer, so that I don’t have to think about which way to look, and not retracing my steps, well, that’s just a little game I play with myself.

Here is today’s iPhone picture from somewhere I walked past and found interesting:

I really really really want them to turn this into a nightclub.

In one hour I’ll be on a train to Manchester for the Elbow/Halle concert. It feels like it was roughly a million years ago that I woke up to find a text message from Paul, saying that if I could get myself to Manchester for this thing, there was a ticket for me.  I really really can’t wait.