End of Week 1

Statistics:
Distance: 2.8 miles
Time: 28:05

Course Map/Stats

Week 1 total distance: 12 miles


Observations:

Well, somehow I mis-measured my route. According to Google Maps, it's 1 mile from Irving Park to Lawrence, and .5 miles from Damen to Ashland. So a route using those as my boundaries should have been 3 miles. But I guess Google fudged a bit, or perhaps my GPS cut some corners, or both. Anyway, the running tracker says I did 2.8 miles. No big deal, but I wish I'd notice while I was running so I could have added a couple more tenths on there. I wanted to see if I could do 3 miles in under 30 minutes. I think I'd have been right at/just under 30 minutes.

This was an easier run, which it's designed to be. Shorter distance than before, but also nicer weather - about 48 degrees and only light wind. Also, partly sunny. The only negative aspect of the run was the fact that I was running on sidewalks, which are inconsistent - sometimes they rise and fall, sometimes they slant left, sometimes they slant right. The left and right slopes are the worst, and I read that it could be part of the problem I had on Thursday with my knees afterward. I may start driving to the lake and running on the lake path just to have a smoother path. Also, when you run by Popeyes, it smells like fried chicken.

I stopped by Fleet Feet earlier today to pick up a couple pairs of running socks, and they were having a clearance sale on some of their cold-weather apparel. I got a long-sleeve technical shirt for 30% off, and promptly put it to use this afternoon. (Technical is runner-speak for synthetic, apparently). Tomorrow I'm going back there to check out a new pair of shoes. While the pair I have now is only a month or two old, they're on the cheap side, and if I'm going to be running more seriously, it makes sense to invest in quality shoes. They are, after all, where the rubber meets the road.


Street Shout-out:

I ran into Bryan B. on Leland and managed to recognize him without the beard.


Track list:
Golden Years - David Bowie
Vogue - Madonna
Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood - Kill Bill Soundtrack
Don't Stop Believing - Journey
Dead! - My Chemical Romance
Tiny Dancer - Ben Folds
Elevation - U2
(warmdown)
Goodbye, Goodbye - Oingo Boingo
Don't Stop Me Now - Queen


Next:
Monday - 3 miles (GPS willing) and my first two days in a row of running.