And the bass keep runnin’ runnin’, and runnin’ runnin’…

And the bass keep runnin’ runnin’, and runnin’ runnin’…

I started what I hope to be a jogging regiment during my lunch hour today.  My rational brain tells me it went better than expected, I mean I ran 2.9 miles on my first time out. My competitive brain tells me it was a terrible outing – 10 minute miles, I should be running 5 minute miles!

This is all prompted because I finally went and got my “numbers”. You know, blood pressure, sugar levels, cholesterol, BMI. I knew the BMI would be fine. I’ve always been on the thin side. I had a sneaking suspicion about that cholesterol though, and I was correct. Time to exercise.

I have jogged in the past, but it never really stuck. My Dad is a jogger. Has been since I was a kid. I always admired that. My wife and I also used to jog together, before the kids. Heck, she ran cross country in college. But I could never really motivate myself to stick with jogging. I never really had a reason, I guess.

But I think I’m ready now. I mean, I do want to have a healthy heart after all. And I like the idea of being a part of the running community. This is a thing I’ve noticed about myself. I have a thing for being a part of a group based on an activity or hobby. I have writing, and blogging, and arcade games, and comic books, and hockey. These are groups of which I’m a member. The funny thing about it, though, is while I’m a member of all of these groups I wouldn’t consider myself a regular in any of them. I have always said I’m pretty good at a lot of things, but great at nothing.

I look forward to being good at running.

Technology is on my side. My wife and I purchased smart phones for the first time this summer. I picked up a Galaxy S4. It’s a pretty cool device with a bevy of free exercise apps. One such app is My Tracks by Google. It gives me so much data during a run, including distance and how fast  (or slow) I’m running. It brings joy to this numbers geek’s heart.

Here’s the data for my first run. I plan on posting this data, for myself and anybody else interested in tracking my progress. Excelsior!

Created by Google My Tracks on Android.

Name: 1st R U N
Activity type: street running
Description: –
Total distance: 4.64 km (2.9 mi)
Total time: 28:32
Moving time: 28:20
Average speed: 9.76 km/h (6.1 mi/h)
Average moving speed: 9.84 km/h (6.1 mi/h)
Max speed: 10.94 km/h (6.8 mi/h)
Average pace: 6:09 min/km (9:53 min/mi)
Average moving pace: 6:06 min/km (9:49 min/mi)
Fastest pace: 5:29 min/km (8:50 min/mi)
Max elevation: 316 m (1037 ft)
Min elevation: 279 m (916 ft)
Elevation gain: 66 m (216 ft)
Max grade: 9 %
Min grade: -11 %
Recorded: 8/19/2013 11:49AM

6 thoughts on “And the bass keep runnin’ runnin’, and runnin’ runnin’…

  1. Very cool! I hated running in high school, but have come to love it.

    The key is to start slow. And I mean sloooow. Otherwise, you’ll lose motivation fast because it’s no fun. I think that’s why I hated running cross country. Find the pace at which you feel like a turtle and stick with it for the first few months, no matter how embarrassed you feel. Walk if you feel out of breath. No more than 10% increased mileage a week. That’ll keep injuries (and shin splints) at bay. Runner’s World has some good advice for beginners.

    Okay, enough advice. 🙂 I’m sure your wife knows all this. That’s really cool that she ran in college! Maybe she’ll start running with you? Good luck sticking with it, Paul!!

  2. Thanks for the advice Sarah. My biggest problem for sure will be to not increase my mileage too quickly. I tend to be overzealous in this regard.

  3. Happy running! Very cool how much data you get from that app. I haven’t tried taking my phone with me on a run — pocket? just carry it? what works?

  4. Shari – at the moment I put it in my pocket. However, late this week/early next week I’m going to get one of those jogging arm band thingies to hold it. Yeah, the app is awesome and is what’s going to keep me running, I think. I love stats!

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