The day before was Yoga. Yesterday was Day #2 of the plan. Same workout of walk/jog. And I have to say, I came home from work PSYCHED. (Perhaps that was because of the upcoming tickets to see Spamalot at 7:30) but I was ready to go and feeling GREAT!

Since I threw away the old pair of sneakers from Day #1 as soon as I walked in the door (with a yucky blister on my right foot arch) I needed to opt for another, more comfy pair of shoes.

We did about 15 minutes of the worst YOGA disc of all times (Boy am I throwing away alot of useless stuff this week!) and then went for the walk/jog. With the comfy shoes, that are so not athletic shoes, but cute and would soften the blister…we went on our way.

I thought it would be a good idea to try a different route this time, not the busy up Richmond with all the traffic path but instead to weave in and out of the side streets going towards Buff State.

And so begins my painful decent into hell.

I figured out my pathetically slow pace for the jog. And I am ok with it, I can do the entire allotted time without dying at my own pace and Mark can run ahead and meet up with me. All is well. Except, um, did anyone 1. SEE THE BEAUTIFUL SUNSHINE YESTERDAY and 2. SEE THE PICTURE OF THE SHOES I WAS WEARING?

Dear God. Mark is a Saint. As soon as we started the journey I became increasingly more grumpy watching all the people about. People in the lawn, people in the sidewalks, people on the porches, college boys without shirts on with beers and BBQ, people walking adorable beagles, kids playing on the sidewalk…

Mark tells me to ignore the people, and no one is paying attention. But everywhere I went there were people. And they weren’t the people you meet along the street who are doing the same thing you are doing and encouraging you. They are COLLEGE students drinking beers. I never felt more fat and ugly and embarrassed for Mark to be seen with me in public in my life. Yes, in my life. Went from 100 to ZERO percent happy in a matter of 10 minutes. (Surprisingly enough, this kind of a mood swing is well, a normal thing in the life of Jen, ask anyone who knows me. I just haven’t been this bad in, in, a long time.)

I fear my shoes had something to do with it as well. Cause after my 3rd sprint or so, instead of complaining, loudly, that I didn’t want to be doing this with all the people around…I was feeling my damn flat feet SLAP SLAP SLAP against the sunny sidewalk. Mark was having a good time, he is a jogger and this is nothing for him but for me? It was HELL. No, hell would have been if the temp was 90 degrees, which would never happen because I HATE temps above 90 and you will not see me moving outdoors if it is that hot. Period.

30 minutes later, after incessant whining and the most miserable mood ever. We were home. And I took off my cute, totally not running shoes from Old Navy and trashed them.

I need to go to Fleet Feet before my next venture. I also need to make sure to stay away from all the 1000’s of people out and about. (Yeah, that’s likely.) I love the nice weather, but I fear in order to be the pathetic jogger in training, I have workout in the dark. Or on a treadmill.

Poor Mark. I seriously felt horrific for being his girlfriend and just wanted him to go on without me. I didn’t want all the people looking seeing him with me, the pathetic fat girl with completely awful shoes, panting and complaining her way behind him.

I’m not sure where the awful mood swing came from really, because people were out on Monday too. Just not in droves. And not EVERYWHERE. Somehow, Mark is a saint and loves me depsite my unacceptable physical appearance to the outside world, and for that I am forever grateful.

I really WANTED to go out yesterday too…I was EXCITED in the beginning. Sigh.

Marky, I love you. Thank you for loving me despite all of, all of THIS. And thank you for encouraging me. We will do it! (But you might want to ask my brother for a raise…)