Running!

I took Airlie running with  me last night. I really, really miss the treadmill, and the speed I used to sprint at, the elevation controls, etc... Running outside is very different and very humbling. You can't run as fast or as far, initially, because of the difference between running in place on a moving belt and propelling yourself forward on solid ground. The first week, I had to walk the hills. I ran for 4 minutes on day 1 before resorting to alternately run/walking. Day 2 I made it 6 minutes. The next week, 8 minutes on Day 3, 10 minutes on day 4. Then I fell off the wagon for 2 weeks, between the weather and feeling discouraged. Last Tuesday I ran the majority of the full neighborhood loop. It tok me 10 minutes. I stopped at the stop sign to wait for traffic and ended up walking the rest of the way home. I resolved to run all the way to the mailboxes the nest time (been stopping to pick up the mail at the end of my run). I did it! I ran a full 15 minutes straight and Airlie did too! It was her first time going running, and our first time using the jogging leash I bought a few years back. The leash was originally intended for Leo, but between walking the dogs in the morning, teaching classes all day, and the weather being too hot as the day wore on, I just never did it. Airlie, however, needs more exercise since we've moved here. The neighborhood route being only 30 minutes is insufficient, and since the hills add difficulty for Kansas, it's more than enough for Kansas and I feel mean keeping her out any longer. The plan is to alternate Leo and Airlie on runs, so nobody gets any overuse injuries. Airlie is really, really good at home, but you can just tell she's struggling with pent-up energy. She did the whole thing with no problem and I am really impressed.