Week one accomplished! (sort of)

I'm going to go ahead and count my third workout even though I walked instead of jogged the last interval due to fear that I would actually collapse and die on the street. Thanks to Boulos's podcast revelation (don't worry, I'm just as dumb at technology!), I am now also using my phone and consider it a good thing to have with me anyway in case I do at some point collapse on the street and need a rescue.

My Yak-trax arrived today - bring on the snow and ice! Or perhaps wait until I have also acquired a sweet, sweet ninja mask like Amanda's.

Workout #3 Advice: Never assume that the sun will stay up for a reasonable amount of time. Sure, you might get out of work at 4:00pm. Sure, you are only going running for 30 minutes. But do NOT leave your head-lamp at home. It WILL get dark. You will not be able to see the uneven sidewalks and/or a pile of leaves at the side of the road. You WILL stumble. You may even fall. And when you fall, you just might break your spine. And even if you have friends awesome enough to carry you a dvd player through the snow to your third floor apartment just to entertain you while you recuperate, the back-brace and painkillers aren't as much fun as you would think. Trust me on this one. Plus, just think of how extra crazy you will look wearing the headlamp during the day. Bonus!

Chafing in places I didn't think possible....

So it turns out if I pretend my raincoat is a wind-breaker, then I *do* own a wind-breaker, which is good because its well below freezing at 5:15 in the morning. As a bonus, my wind-breaker (aka raincoat) has a pocket designed for my iPod. This is genius.

Note to self: buy chapstick

Workout #2 Advice: If you get up early to go running, you probably won't encounter many other people. You will be missing out on the enthusiastic waves and implied "you go girl!"s from your neighbors. You deserve this support and should not be denied. Try to angle your headlamp into their windows to wake them up so they can come outside and cheer you on. Be sure to also wake up anyone living in your house with victory cries upon the successful completion of your run. They will want to congratulate you and may be angry if they miss out on that opportunity. We are doing something important here, ladies, and everyone needs to know about it.

This is going to be EPIC!

Ladies, I'm honored to be blogging in the company of greatness. We can do this thing.

Workout #1 advice: People are going to think we look like total crazos out running. I suggest that we embrace it and try to guide their opinions. For example, spectators of my first run are likely to still be thinking, "Gee, that girl has a lot of mismatched hot pink exercise attire!" rather than critiquing my non-runner physique, technique, etc. Anyone up early enough to witness my second run tomorrow morning will likely be amazed by the head-lamp that I just bought and fully intend to rock in the am. 27 workouts will make it a challenge to keep upping the eye-sore ante/weirdo factor. But if I was born to do something, this is it.

--Alice