159)

i finished the first week of couch-to-5k and have moved on to week two!
week one consisted of 60 seconds of running followed by 90 seconds of walking for twenty minutes.  all things considered, i think it went pretty well!  here's the recap of my first week, straight from the pages of my paper journal to here.

day one:
okay, so i decided to just go for it!  i stretched inside, then decided to take advantage of the mild (by february in chicago standards) afternoon and go for a wander around the neighborhood.  i found a free iPod app that tracks your progress and runs over the music... it fades in to give you a direction, then fades back out and returns you to your current track.  pretty sweet!  at the end of the workout, it saves your progress and moves you to the next day.  i think it will be very helpful for me.

as far as the actual workout itself, i didn't feel as out of shape as i thought i was, and really didn't feel like i needed to stop at any time.  the one thing that kind of surprised me was that my knee bothered me a bit, starting about halfway through... it feels totally fine now, but i will say i was surprised; i thought my ankle would have caused more pain, considering it's the more recent injury.

anyway, i loved it--frankly, it was relatively easy for me.  i'm feeling pretty great!  it will be interesting to see how i'm feeling tomorrow, that's for sure.  here's to day two... i might just become a runner after all!

day two:
got off work at 11 and headed over to the gym.  today's workout?  too easy, haha.  almost effortless, and i couldn't believe it was over when it ended!  this time my ankle was sore (but not my knee, hooray!), but no more sore than it usually is after eight hours of work, really.  i wore the ankle brace and that really seemed to help a lot!  afterwards, i did an additional 20 minutes on the treadmill before heading home.

day three:
ouch.  today kind of kicked my ass... which is good, of course, but ow.  i walked for a little while longer before starting the workout.  after i completed day 3, i did another 15-20 minutes of walking, but was definitely feeling it.  i think an eight hour saturday shift is the culprit for today, but regardless, i am undeterred!  if i'm sore, it means i'm working hard and getting in better shape.  so, bring it on, week 2!  this is going to get interesting, i think!

158)

have you ever heard of couch-to-5k?
basically, it's a running program that aims to ease non-runners or beginner runners into a routine that, over the course of two months, will have them running five kilometers on a regular basis.  it's all about easing into it gradually and being comfortable with what you can do.

all that said... i've made the decision.  i'm jumping into couch-to-5k!

the idea and motivation for doing couch-to-5k comes from a few different places.  first of all, it'll help me get healthier and into better shape.  my job is pretty physically demanding, and after being there for over a year, i'm much stronger than i used to be.  i know i could be challenging myself more, and i'm ready for it.  i've never really been a runner, but it seems like something i could be okay at...  a way to relieve stress and anxiety... a path to more adventures and goodness like hiking excursions and biking expeditions.

in addition, i just think it would be really goddamn awesome to accomplish something like this, to make it happen all on my own from start to finish.  five kilometers is approximately 3.106 miles, which really isn't all that long but to a non-runner, it's practically a marathon.  (and who knows, maybe i'll run one of those someday!)  the sky is the limit, and i am so excited!

so... day one.  monday, my day off.  it involves alternating running and jogging for 20 minutes, something i believe i can totally do.  i will eat a good breakfast and get in a good stretching session and hit the road.  and when all is said and done, i'll share my experience here.  can't wait to see where this leads me.

off we go!

157)

for as long as i can
remember, it has felt
like home--field trips
to the art institute, the
museum of science
and industry,

adventures to wrigley
field on hot summer days
to cheer on the boys in
blue, the home team,

and later, exploring the
city late at night with
the one who turned out
to be my other half.

just a month shy of
twenty four, i am overcome
with contentment, with
gratitude, for the windy
city and for the magic
found within.

156)

i.
i found myself transported
to another place in time,
a new year's eve journey
eastward.  there we were:

an afternoon to ourselves.
among other things, we
enjoyed a few drinks at
the bar and went for a dip
in the swimming pool. so
relaxing, so enticing--

exactly what we needed,
even we didn't entirely
know it, then.

ii.
(when you kiss me
like that, i swear
the universe blooms
and unfolds within
my very being;

it lingers for hours.)

155)

it is the ninth day
of the new year
and unseasonably warm
for january.

...comparatively, though,
it's not that much cooler
than the climate we just
visited--a little over a week
ago, we found ourselves
there on the edge of the sea,

exploring in the warmth and
sunlight.  now, up here
on the shores of lake
michigan (a different kind
of coast), we bask in the

strangeness of spring-like
temperatures and wait
for winter, knowing it
will arrive one way or

another, whether we're
ready or not.

154)

standing there beneath
the camellia blooms and
willow trees, i wasn't
sure that i had not
dreamed it all up, created
this world and stepped

inside (though, anything is
possible.)  i took a deep
breath and took it all in,
imprinting the bend of
the river beyond in my

memory, in my very
existence.

153)

(the first day; sunset.)

at cruising altitude, it is hard to tell where the ground starts and the sky ends.  the only indications are the glitter of towns below, yellow and white lights blinking in formation like the nighttime constellations above.

it is moments like this one, sailing in solitude through the air, that fear--fear of heights of falling, of sudden inexplicable death--dissipates and gives way to a quiet calm.  down below, orion, the big dipper, and the very galaxy itself appears along interstates, suburbs, and riverbanks.

just like everything else, it seems, our flight back home was almost perfect.  even though it was delayed by almost two hours, traveling west and taking in the sights of the city on the lake, passing by amidst clear, cool skies.

we spent new year's eve celebrating, living it up, and new year's day heading back to familiar territory, to the future and whatever 2012 might bring.  (a vacation to remember, indeed.)