Running! Exercise! Oh, My!

So, I went "running" for the first time today.  I use quotes because I didn't run the whole time and thus I feel guilty for calling it running.  This was my experience:

In preparation for my run, I bought fancy-shmancy running shoes.  You've already seen those.  They proved to be a good choice.  I also randomly had appropriate moisture wicking socks.

I was informed that I needed running shorts/pants because friction between my thighs is bad.  Instead of gearing up and buying more stuff I may never use more than once, I dug out a pair of yoga pants I've used once....  They proved to work out quite well as running pants.  They were light enough and breathed just fine.  No fires were started due to thigh friction today.

I was also informed that I would need a sports bra in order to be able to run without killing myself.  I doubled up and wore two, just to be safe.  Apparently, I need to invest in a better (or more?) sports bras.  They did function well as a holder for my asthma inhaler and cell phone.

My cell phone did manage to chafe my chest a bit from sweating and running with it tucked not so neatly inside my double layers of Lycra.  I would have left it at home, but I brought it along because I had downloaded an app called, "Runkeeper". This app tracks my speed, distance and is programmable to include running plans (run for x minutes, walk for x, and so on).  Additionally, it will make a little map of my running trail.  This was more entertaining than it should have been.  

The walking/running combination I did kicked my butt.  In fact, my butt hurts.  I'm making myself believe this is a good thing.  I didn't have any issues with my asthma (WHOO HOO!).  All in all, I'd say everything went quite well.  I'll definitely be doing this again - maybe even tomorrow - I'm going to wait and see how sore I feel in the morning.  If I can't move, there will be no running two days in a row.

Shoes - The Solution for Everything

A lovely lady at my school has begun a Biggest Loser style contest at my school. This is actually the second run of the contest. The first time around, I pretty much just donated my entry fee. This time, I'm taking it seriously. Even if I don't win, I fully intend to be 15 pounds thinner by June 1.

 Week 1 went really well. From Monday to Friday, I lost 3 pounds. I ramped up my activity and started seriously watching my caloric intake. As recommended by a good friend of mine, I've been monitoring my activity using a FitBit.

 The FitBit is a glorified pedometer. However, it not only tracks my daily steps, it also tracks distance, calories burned, stair flights climbed and my sleep. Yes, it even can tell how well I am sleeping.  Armed with this information, I have been able to quickly adjust what I can in order to be at optimal calorie intake/burn levels.

 This week (week 2), I intend to ramp things up. I found a running for beginners program on Pinterest which sounded doable, even to asthmatic me. So, in preparation for my upcoming runs, I bought these babies today: