Week 2 Day 1

20:40 sec run/walk
36.13 min
2.08 miles
17.3 min/mile

This week is getting off to a slow start... I ended up going to the ER in Bakersfield last night (cut my finger really badly, it's fine, the trip was a waste of time, but the Advice Nurse I called to see if she thought I should see a doctor about it was all, "You must go to the ER now!", so I did) and didn't get home until quarter after 2 in the morning. I slept until 10 AM and feel reasonably okay today, but still worn out from the trip and late night. Fortunately, it's a cool day and I was able to go out before 2 PM and do my run without worrying about the weather. In fact, it was only around 50 F and the wind was biting, so I was too cold if anything. I really need more/better running clothes—I end up wearing my only two pairs of tights one over the other to keep my legs warm. Would be nice to have one pair of running tights/pants that were warm. Also need more socks.

And shoes. Definitely shoes. My left ankle was sore again today, and I decided that possibly it's the shoes that are at fault. I've been wearing the stiff leather Everlasts I bought for the gym, as they're my only sports shoes, besides the extremely worn and ratty Nikes I bought for my last marathon. They're decent shoes but not for running, at least not for me. My feet are floppy, but stiff shoes seem to work against me, battering my feet as they flop around. I do better with soft, flexible shoes. I think I will go back to my worn-out Nikes for now and see if my feet do any better. I did order a new pair of running shoes online—which is taking a big chance, because who knows whether they'll be good shoes for me or not—but they were only $40 (supposedly marked down from $100), and worth a gamble. If they even fit at all, I can at least wear them for everyday shoes. If I can't use them for running, I'll have to go shoe shopping again.

I had a bit of a false start today. I had thought I'd used the Buggles "Age of Plastic" album as my music, but somehow had only added the first song. Much as I love "Video Killed the Radio Star," I didn't want to hear it over and over for 35 minutes. I stopped the workout after about five minutes to figure out how to add the whole album, and then restarted the workout. So I got an extra few minutes of walking and running in today.