I only had to do a 3-mile out-and-back, but I live in a tiny neighborhood, and so I was surprised at just how far 3 miles would get me. Then again, maybe it's because I now live in a neighborhood where I can walk to a ton of different places within a half-mile, as opposed to the suburbs where a half-mile might get you to the next shopping center. Cities are much more compact.

Anyhow, after pondering the different ways I could go, I finally decided to head towards the lakefront. The gmap pedometer told me it was about 2.25 miles from my place, give or take. I wanted to confirm that, and also confirm that I actually could get to the path from 31st street like I thought. So, Saturday morning, I woke up, checked the weather, and then headed east.

The run itself started off unremarkably. I was trying to take it easy, but it just felt hard. I finally decided to use my old long run trick of stopping and stretching at the halfway point. I caught my breath, stretched out, and then stopped and looked around me. My 3-mile jog out had taken me onto the lakefront path, and about a half-mile south. The path isn't as crowded down there as it is on the north end of the city, and there are a lot less beaches, so it's just you, the grass, some trees, and the lake. It was a cool morning, and the sun was coming out. Looking south and east, it was Lake Michigan as far as the eye could see. Looking north, you could see the skyline of the city and Navy Pier. It was just beautiful. It hit me that I live here now, and these sorts of sights are going to be part of my regular run. Before, I only got to see them when I drove downtown to run on the lakefront as a treat to myself. Even then, I usually only ran on the northern part of the path, so I never saw the city from this angle.

When it was time to turn back down 31st and head home, I was a little sad. Until I had to wait for the traffic light on an overpass. I happened to look north, and, again, I had a stunning view of the city, just 4 miles directly south of downtown. The overpass was over train tracks, so there was nothing in the way between me and the buildings. I very seriously wished I had a camera, and I just may take one with me when I go out and run this weekend.

The run back home was much better than the run out - I was warmed up, I was feeling good, and before I knew it, I was back in Bridgeport. What I didn't notice on my way out was that as soon as I crossed over the Dan Ryan, it was immediately obvious I was back in my neighborhood. Bridgeport is very "neighborhoody" - it doesn't look so much like a city as, well, a neighborhood. After passing by a very "city" looking part of town, and then the ball park, the rows and rows of houses and stores were a sudden change in scenery.

For the last half-mile, I decided to mix it up a bit. I did short little intervals - sprint to the next lightpole, walk to the one after that, sprint, walk, etc, etc. Each sprint interval couldn't have been more than 5 or 10 seconds, but I was feeling it. (Probably because my recovery wasn't much more than 10 or 15 seconds, either.) I arrived home a little more than an hour after I left, ready to face another day of cleaning and unpacking.

Sunday was a day of recovery after celebrating a little too enthusiastically Saturday night (it was my neighbor's birthday party), and Monday is my scheduled Day of Rest. I toyed with the idea of going running, but just couldn't get myself motivated, so I let it go.

This morning was a "Rock Bottom" class at the gym. The idea was to get to the gym a little before 6, run my 4 miles, then do the class (lower-body strengthening/toning). Unfortunately, the train conspired against me, and I didn't have enough time before the class started. So, I spent 15 minutes walking on the treadmill, another 15 stretching, and then did the class. The instructor? Is Hard. Core. She's not messing around, and she isn't tolerating any wimpiness. I like it. Of course, the product of that is my butt now feels like jelly, and will probably be super-sore tomorrow. I am going back to the gym after work to get my run in, so I'm hoping that'll help things from getting too tight and sore. We shall see.

This is also the beginning of my Plan - there's a similar class for the upper body on Thursday mornings, so those days will be easy running days combined with whatever class is available. I think it's a good way for me to get some strength training in (since I'll never do it on my own). The down side is that I'll have to hit the gym twice on those days, since a girl can only get up so early. We'll see how it goes.... and if I can walk tomorrow.