After quite some time I'm getting back into running.

I have been discouraged with running in the past due to the conditioning I'd subjected myself to with a heart rate monitor.  Specifically, I'd been trying to stay inside my aerobic zone - which is the best place to be for losing weight.  However, staying in this zone - particularly when you are unfit and not a born runner - can be a very frustrating exercise.  I also had problems with keeping up with my running due to my job, but with major changes having taken place here, I have a little more time again.

After talking to a good friend of mine who is a born running about my frustration with increasing weight and a desire to get fit again, I'm getting back into it.  His advice was to run at a comfortable pace (so that you can talk easily), throw out the heart rate monitor except to set a baseline and then on occasion to monitor progress.  Then run sensibly at a comfortable pace - if you are running regularly you will lose weight, so don't worry about the specifics of heart rates.

Today was my third run this week and the third in three days.  Earlier today I went out and bought myself some new running shorts (the tight performance types that help the blood flow in your muscles).  I also got a new pair of running shorts that go over the top (nothing like running in tights to scare the wildlife) which has a nice pocket for a MP3 player in the back.

The other thing that had been preventing me from getting back into running was a dread of getting out into the cold air first thing in the morning 5-10 minutes after getting out of my nice warm bed.  To work around this, I've been going for a run just after work before dinner - with my beloved's hearty endorsement - which means I have a much lower barrier to entering the running arena.  And it's warmer than at 5:30 am.

So - one day at a time, but I'm looking forward to getting fit again and losing some of this weight that I've had for far too long.