Things got off to a bang with a nice long jog, my first since last summer. I prefer to jog outside, which is rather hard to do in the dead of winter even you are highly motivated (which I am not). While I have used a treadmill at various times before, I am not a fan. I find it extremely difficult to maintain my interest jogging this way, since there isn't really anything to distract you. Sure, sometimes there is a TV above the treadmills at the gym, or a little glowing counter on the dashboard. But that doesn't really do it for me.
When I jog outside, I am able to spur myself on by setting arbitrary landmarks to hit as I continue on my way. For instance, keep going until you hit that tree, and then until you hit that next sign post. With that motivation, I can keep going longer, even after I am starting to wear down. Using this method, I was able to continue my jog past the point I intended. I had planned to go for half an hour and ended up jogging for 45 minutes, as I kept finding new mini-goals to hit.
It was exhilarating to jog after so long, and so I kept going for longer than I should have. So when I was done, my legs were extremely sore. I tried to take proper precautions before and after by stretching my leg muscles. It was only a minor stiffness at first that grew more sore as the night continued. I did some more stretches right before bed, and by the time I woke up it had abated. Next time, I'll have to be more careful, especially with a month of exercise ahead.
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