Notes on Couch to 5k

Week One, Day One:

• Next time I go running on a lovely spring day, I will take a goddamn antihistamine first, or at least bring some goddamn tissues. I was a snotty, sniffly mess by the end of it.
• Pancakes is not an ideal running buddy. She's SUPER EXCITED ABOUT EVERY SMELL EVER so she'll dart all around the damn place. And if I keep the leash short enough that she can't try to dart over in front of me, she still tries to pull ahead and smell things and ends up dangling and walking on her back legs a little. (I think it looks like I'm abusing her, so I leave the leash a little longer than that.)
• One winter, even with regular brisk walks and stuff, is plenty of time to undo all the getting-back-in-shape work I did in the fall. 
• My cousin was in town for my sister's shower, and said, in reference to the women of my family, "We are not built for aerobic activity." I thought of that when I was running and could actually feel my gut jiggle with each step.
• I had forgotten that running clears out one's chest a little. Hello, coughing!
• I feel really virtuous about going for a run, and will now celebrate by going out to dinner with friends who are in town and drinking a margarita.

And now a visual comparison:

How I looked when I was running

How I felt when I finished

                         vs.










Any of you run? Any of you hate running? Chime in here!

Not proud of it, but

Here are the excuses I came up with to put off starting running today:

• Can't find headphones 
• Headphones I could find were huge and uncomfortable; also didn't fit well around the mohawk
• There were three dogs who would want to go, but I could only really take two and would have preferred to take one
• It's 38° outside
• I don't own any pants for running. I have running shorts and flannel pants that are too long, but I'd have to make do with some capris or something
• I had just enough time to DO ANYTHING ELSE
• Andy's computer (the one that has iTunes on it) died when I was making a playlist
• I didn't want to have to shower before heading to my friend's house

Obviously, I didn't go. I have an eye doctor appointment tomorrow afternoon, but if it's still light out, I'll go then. Unless I can come up with eight brand-new excuses. And the headphones don't count, because Andy brought me a pair just for running today.

Any excuse suggestions for tomorrow?