Rest day. So how about trying running?

I love poppies! I remember seeing them along the side of the freeway as we drove along when I was a kid and I loved their bright color and delicate petals. Seeing these today along the creek side made running well worth the probable aches later.

I am not a runner. Today was a rest day for my 30 day tricep dip challenge and I was sitting in my chair, wasting time online, when the thought popped into my head that I should go for a walk. Even better, a run! Could I do it? How long would I last? Should I walk first to get warmed up, or just go? I read a couple of online posts about starting out running as a beginner and decided there was no reason to delay. I changed my clothes, put my hair in a pony tail, grabbed my headphones and a bottle of water and set out.

I decided to walk for a bit to warm up and to wait until I was on the dirt path to try running - I'm no spring chicken and I seriously have zero interest in injuring myself. I loaded my workout mix on my phone, set up my RunKeeper app, and walked down the street towards the creek path. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed walking in my neighborhood and getting a look around at the homes and seeing what people have done with landscaping, paint, etc. As I got closer to the dirt path my mind started playing tricks on me. Thoughts of doubt flooded in. But when my feet hit the dirt, I started running.  I was running! Wow! Feeling ok. Not completely out of breath quite yet. I decided that I would set a goal of running to the neighborhood pool. Not too far, but hopefully far enough for me to get a feeling of whether running is going to be a part of my exercise regimen. Well, I didn't quite make it to the pool, but I did make it to the little gate/fence! Yes! I felt quite proud. I pushed myself to run a bit further, almost making it to the pool. I ended up walking to the pool and turning around to head back. I considered climbing up the pathway edge and walking/running up Valley Quail, but that leads to Spring Hill which is a killer and I didn't want to get discouraged by being so exhausted and out of breath that I couldn't make that final climb to home. Staying on the dirt path allowed me to walk a bit, drink some water, take the photo of the poppies, and then when I made it back to the gate/fence I ran again. Woohoo! I ran all the way back to the pavement and then walked most of the way back home. Feeling like I had rested up enough, I decided to run the final little bit around the corner and into the home stretch. Awesome!

1.52 miles in 22 minutes. Not bad for my first day! And I feel great! What will tomorrow bring? I'm into these 30 day challenges lately, and there is one that challenges you to walk/run/swim for 1 mile every day for 30 days. I should be able to do that! Right? Right?