Seems easy enough? Not so fast...

IT.WAS.BRUTAL!

That's how I would describe my first day of training. For a couch/Tivo potato like me I thought I was gonna die.

So I walked in the gym all pumped up and ready to go. Given that most of the time I just hit "Quick Start" on the treadmill, I had some quick learning to do. I had to figure out my good jogging speed and "brisk" walking speed. I settled on 3.5mph for walking and 5mph for jogging.

So I set the timer for 25 minutes (5 minute warm up and 8 sets of alternating jogging/walking for the remaining 20 minutes). The brisk walk got the heart pumping, not too much but just enough for me to believe I was actually moving. I completed the first four alternating sets and was thinking to myself... "I can do this".

Then all of a sudden it was like I got hit by a brick wall. Remember I am by no means a runner. I prefer the elliptical trainer. Well, actually I prefer the couch - but I have a little wager going on and since I looooooove my Tivo, I make it a point to at least get on the elliptical while I'm watching TV.

So back to running into that brick wall... I still had 10 minutes to go. All I kept thinking was breathe... walk... run and dont stop for 1 minute. It got to the point where I could not even look at the timer. I forced myself to look away until I thought I was almost done with the running part.

And guess what? It worked. I finished the whole 20 minutes without giving up and giving in. I felt so good afterwards. Now I am not really a sweaty person either, even when I work out. But today, hmmm, that was another story. I was drenched. I guess I havent worked this hard in a while. And 1.5 miles is not bad either. Thats what I covered today.

At any rate, stay tuned. I wonder what training Day 2 holds.