I Quit the Gym and started Running...

So there it is! I quit the gym and started running. I wanted to reduce our (hubby and me) monthly expenses as the hubby is going back to school in fall of 2014, but it's hard to get good cardio on my dinky little fold up treadmill. Don't get me wrong, its great for walking when its cold outside. I have a couple of good friends that have inspired me to try running. No excuses, no nonsense. Just push and do it! my general goal is to be able to do 10km by the end of august (on the long weekend) as the aforementioned inspiring friends and I always go to the island for a girls relaxing weekend. There is a great trail there and I just wish I could run it, without getting winded after 30 minutes.

So far I have started a running program called "C210K" (couch-to-10-km) and started at the 5 week mark after doing a 4.5km test run. Tomorrow I start week 6, and so far it has gone well! I even have my mini-schnauzer running with me (which is great, as we need something to wear his energy down). Although I found a few problems in the act of running with a dog:

1. How crazy i look when i'm jogging in place holding an already half-filled poo bag waiting for him to make his second deposit (but he cant make up his mind where to do it, and he gets distracted by passers-by) and  there I am holding it (the poo) like a parlor maid presenting tea (gotta keep good posture!), until his highness is ready.

2. He barks at people because he is so excited to meet them and really just wants to get closer so that he can turn on his "I'm ridiculously cute and I'm even whining like a puppy so just pet me already!" switch, but people just hear the barking and think he's ferocious. Yup apparently he scared a few people today in his exuberance (that's my ferocious mini-Schnauzer). They practically clung to the other side of the sidewalk in fear. Nice one dog.

The pros, however, are quite simple:

1. I have my favorite fuzzy biddy with me.
2. He gets some well needed exercise.
3. Seeing his wagging tail at the door as I put on my running gear is the best motivation I could imagine!

I have a running playlist on my ipod that I find very motivating:

Here are some of my favorite songs:

Wish me luck tomorrow!