Running!

I ran Friday evening. I felt pretty good during the day and got home in daylight. It was raining but warm -- in the 70s -- and I wasn't going far and anyway the rain stopped while I was putting my shoes on.

I ran around the block twice. That is almost exactly 0.8 miles. Eight tenths of a mile. Four tenths for each time around. I was exhausted. On the last straightaway, the last one tenth, I kept going only because I could literally see the end in sight.

Eight tenths of a mile is almost ludicrous for someone who used to run 4 miles regularly, and 8 to 10 on a long weekend run, not for training but just for fun. I'm a little surprised. I've been walking one to four miles a day most days for the last 18 months, and I have been working on the elliptical machine for the last month, 30 minutes at a time without feeling exhausted. But running is different. I suppose the fact that I run with a 4-pound weight in each hand (as I have done regularly for the last 30+ years) might have something to do with the level of exertion.

However exhausted, I finished in good form, nothing hurt and I didn't get sick. The effect on my digestive system has been noticeable but not disastrous -- consistent with having done too much and tired myself on Friday.

It's a start.