6 + 6 + 1= Thursday Thirteen

So with my first official outdoor run today, today's 13 is actually six pros, six cons and one common factor to running on a treadmill vs running outside.

Pros                                                                                           

Fresh Air                                                                                    
Perfect temps this time of year                                                   
No pre-selected speed I have to stick to   
Company of other people who are also exercising                                                                      
Wind feels good when I'm hot                                                    
 Much prettier scenery      
                                                          
 Cons

Cigarette smokers in the park
It gets hot wearing black
No pre-selected speed to keep me consistent
Other people hearing me trying to breathe
Wind is work to run against
Uneven pavement and hills


But all in all, what both have in common is that it is good for me and I feel great when I'm finished.

I did a total of three miles today, but didn't run even one mile straight through, but that's okay.  I had emailed a question to John The Penguin Bingham, the author of the books I am reading, about the headaches after running (which have improved by the way) and he said this:

Hi Kim,

It's actually a great question. I'm glad that you asked.

Before we get to the headache, though, let's talk a little bit about how
hard it should be to run two miles. First off, you shouldn't ever feel like
you're about to die. That kind of thinking will make you hate running and
you'll quit in no time.

Two things: 1] you should be able to carry on a normal conversation while
you're running. If you're breathing is so labored that you can't, you need
to slow down. 2] you should be doing lots and lots of walking at this stage.
We start our new runners with 30 seconds of running and 5 minutes of
walking, for 30 minutes. Little by little you increase the running interval.

Chances are - and I'm not a doctor - that the headaches are caused by low
blood sugar. It sounds like you're just pushing too hard.

So, relax. Enjoy the process. Be kind and gentle with yourself. It's the
only way to run for the rest of your life.         

So I am chilling a little bit.  I still have my goals, but with running outside with uneven pavement and hills, none of which I have on the treadmill, if I want to walk a bit, I'm going to walk a bit.  I ran A LOT, but it was in intervals, about a half mile at a time and then I'd walk for a few minutes.  Either way, it's all good.

Thursday 13 is a little blog meme.  If you want to play,  you can do so here.