I passed three people on my loop today.  I would like to say this fact filled me with pride and even inspired me to quicken my pace.  But, no. Nay. Unfortunately all three were walkers and even passing them was a challenge. Oy.  Day two.  Ouch.

I woke up this morning with, what I imagine are, all the usual rationalizations of why I shouldn't run today; 

• I ran yesterday, I need to rest.
• My legs are really sore, should they be this sore?
• If I overdo it I will burn out (ha, at my pace I don't think I could conceivably burnout...ever).
• Shouldn't I eat something first?

But I willed myself to get out of bed.  My cat, Captain Marmalade, aided by meow'ing incessantly and batting my face with his paw. Almost, eerily,  as if he was daring me.  

My cat knows whats up and trucks no discord. 

So long story short, I dressed; running tights, shorts, Nike no-drip waffle shirt,  Davey's Hot Dogs and Grill T, hat, running shoes and wool running socks. Boom.  Out the door with a whimper.  

To get to the Prospect Park Loop (my own circle of hell) I hang a right out of my building and head two blocks to Underhill (sounds like its right out of The Hobbit). There I bang a left and walk, briskly, up to Eastern Parkway where I cross over to the Brooklyn Library and take a right.  I should point out that waiting for that light to change in a cold cold dusk is a Herculean feat in itself.  It takes, like, an hour. I walk past the library to Grand Army Plaza and then enter the Park from the Northern entrance. And then its off to the races. Kind of.

I started with my slow boxers shuffle and noticed the pain immediately.  My knee's felt like they were full of gravel, my quads were groaning, my calves felt like they were full of ice picks. Ouch.  Again the doubts and rationalizations came charging in (oh how I wish I could run that fast). I should stop, I should take a day off, I should walk, I should blah, blah, blah.  But it's funny, it reminded me of quitting smoking, when the pain started to get really annoying (as would the need for a smoke) I would pick a spot and say; "I'll run to that.".  By the time I got there the pain was manageable and I would be able to keep going. So, I made it all the way around again, one shuffle,shuffle at a time.

.

Today I used an app called Runtastic.  It's a free app, which I like, and is pretty user friendly. I recommend it highly, but really, what the hell do I know. A voice came up over my headphones once or twice suggesting I purchase the Pro version. 

Thank you, no. 

At the end of my run Runtastic (RUNTASTIC!!!!) informed me that my time was better than yesterday and I managed to run a wee bit farther.  3.46 miles.  It even showed me a map of the park and a blue highlight showing my route.  I thought, with smug satisfaction, that it looked like a long loop.