Ouch, ouch, ouch

I finally broke down and joined a gym--in this case our local city recreation center. I've decided to try to walk at least 2 miles every work day, both to help my fitness and perhaps to even lose a bit of weight.

Right now I'm way too intimidated to try any of the machines, so I'm only using the indoor track. My plan is to start with walking then expand to maybe jogging.

First day, about 1 1/2 miles. Second day, 2 miles, today, 2 miles. I'm walking about a 17 minute mile. Not awful, but not the fastest either.

Today my shin muscles were killing me most of the first mile before they finally warmed up. I think I need to drink more water before going into the gym. But at least my hurting shins took my mind off my feet. I have plantar fasciitis. What the heck is that? Basically it means my feet hurt. I've irritated the big tendons that stretch from my heels to my toes, they're mad at me, and telling me about it. Loudly. The weird thing about PF is that it's not so bad when you're actually moving, it's when you stop for a few minutes then try to walk again that it really hurts. So I'm able to walk 2 miles, but my mid-morning run to the restroom is more like a slow painful hobble.

However, I already am feeling the benefits of increasing my exercise. I've always been a walker but realized that over the past year my evening walks have decreased due to weather or time constraints. An indoor track takes weather out of the equation. Time is solved by moving my wakeup time an hour earlier. So I now get up about 5:15 to get to the gym by their open at 5:30.

It's a really nice facility. As I walk along one curve of the raised track I can watch the sun rise over the whole wall of glass. I can also discreetly scope out the other exercisers and the machines. I circle them warily, perhaps someday to ascend.

The dogs aren't really quite sure what to do. I've been experimenting with just leaving them all loose in the house for the hour I'm gone. I think Cala is going back to her crate, not sure what Zip is doing. I'm going to have to ask the neighbor if they run outside and bark. But they watch me leave, Zipper and Cala perched in the front window. So far no house damage at all evident. We'll see how things progress...