Exercise Revision

For a long time, my exercise regimen was to run five kilometers three times per week, though I would try for four or five times.  This usually took an hour--changing into running clothes, getting on the treadmill (or strapping my phone onto my arm), running, cooling down, showering.

Problem is, this became more and more like a chore.  I mean, to begin with I DON'T LIKE RUNNING.  It's boring, it's often painful, and I never ever get the "runner's high."  An hour of running (40 minutes of actual running plus the assorted activity around it) has become a major crapfest, and I found it too easy to put it off or not do it.

So I'm changing things around.

I'm doing half a run twice as often.  I get on the treadmill and go for 22 minutes, do a shortened cool down, and shower.  This is the length of a single sit-com or an episode of Jeopardy.  I can run for that long, and it's not a big deal.  My plan is to do this six times per week.

I'm also finding that I'm willing to push myself to run faster and harder if I know I'm only running a short while.  ("Crank it up to level 6? Jesus, no--I have 30 minutes left!" but "Level 6 for 12 minutes?  I can do that.")  So the net effect is that I run less per session, but more miles per week.

We'll see how this goes.