I have a love/hate thing with running. I like the idea of it, but never seem to do it right. I over-exert, get shin splints, don't stretch enough ... these are all probably things that would go away if I made it a habit, so maybe my real problem is that I've never stuck it out long enough.

Lately (over the past 16 months), almost all of my exercise comes from bike commuting, and busting out sessions on the elliptical at the gym. Couple months ago, I moved the gym visits to my lunch hour, and because we have a locker room at work, I decided to change there, and jog to and from the gym. It's about 5 minutes, no biggie. I commute 5 days a week, and try to hit the gym that often as well.

This is coupled with the goal of losing weight, so I obsess about counting calories and eating healthy. (Or at least healthier, he reflects, glancing down at his Chinese take-out while he types.) My commute is about 50% longer due to our recent move than it was, which equals more calories burned from that.

It's silly, but one of the reasons I stick with a routine that works is because I'll probably burn less, at least initially, if I switch it up. So according to this odd and probably inaccurate logic, more burn from my bike commute removes an excuse NOT to try running again.

Also, at 36 pounds down from where I was last Valentine's Day, when I decided to get healthier, and with only a few pounds to go until I reach my goal, I figure I can ease up a little on maximizing the caloric benefit from exercise.

SO, at lunchtime today I took advantage of the momentary break in the cloud cover to go on a run. My route was the 3-mile loop around the river, crossing at the Steel and Hawthorne bridges. It took me 45 minutes, and I haven't run for more than about 10 continuous minutes in over a year and a half. But today's run was different than how I usually remember running, in that:

• I deliberately took a slow pace,
  
• My heart wasn't about to explode out of my chest when I was done, and
  
• I felt great the whole time.

Don't want to get too optimistic here, because my body has a tendency to wait about 36 hours before complaining about something I did, but I might try it again next week, and see if I can't do it more. We live ON Mt. Tabor, and it would be a great thing to be able to decide to take a run through that forest without worrying about payback afterward.