Newbie's Log 25/06/04

Mel: Good on ya. You are doing very well. You may get other
advice from others, but my advice is: take it slow. You will
notice rather rapid progress at first, and then the progress
will slow. Don't overdo it. If you get injured or start to
dread your running, it is all over, and that's no good.

As far as the socks go, I don't know what you are getting,
but I don't even break in my running shoes, so I sure as
heck wouldn't worry about socks.

Brian Jones "Mel Rimmer" <[email hidden]> wrote
in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Last week was gloriously sunny and warm but this week has
been like winter again, with rain and gales most days.
Still, I haven't missed a single day of my new running
programme and I've been running 15 minutes a day, 6 days a
week. I know that doesn't sound much, and you all probably
think the Gobi Desert Marathon is for wusses, but I'm
proud of my accomplishment.

Actually I enjoyed running in the rain. I'm not so keen on
the wind though. The only thing I actually disliked about
it was the "crunch crunch" noise of the snails underfoot.
That was pretty disgusting. The best thing about running
in the wet is the shower when I get back. That's a great
feeling.

Thanks to everyone who responded to my last log, and
answered my questions. The mysterious hill that wasn't
there before is actually more of a short gentle rise.
That's why I never noticed it until I tried to run up it.
Amazingly it has now vanished. Yesterday I got to the top
and thought "Am I here already? Where did the hill go?".
And I've given up trying to stop my toes sticking out like
a duck when I run. I think that's just the shape my feet
are. If I ever get to a point where I want to run a long
race, or beat my best time over a given distance, then I
might want to get some pointers on technique. But all I'm
doing right now is trying to run every day, a little
farther each week, and as long as I'm not at risk of
injuring myself I'll just run however feels natural to me.

Today is a rest day, and tomorrow I'm going for 20
minutes. I'm going to reward myself for sticking at this
for 2 weeks by buying some running socks (woo hoo!). I've
read that socks need breaking in just like shoes. Now that
sounds crazy to me, but 2 weeks ago the idea of me running
for 20 minutes sounded fairly crazy, and anyone on earth
wanting to run a marathon in the Gobi Desert sounded
utterly fruit loop (actually I still think that's pretty
fruit loop), so I'm trying to keep an open mind. What do
you think? Do you break in your socks or do you just take
them out of the packet and go running?
--
Mel Rimmer

One dark day on Usenet, Mel Rimmer <[email hidden]> said
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Do you break in your socks or do you just take them out of
the packet and go running?

If they are socks you've worn running before (just a new
pair), then no break in period required. If they are a
different type, they may be a different thickness. This
could cause your shoes to feel tighter or looser. Therefore,
I would not go on your longest run with a new style sock.

Phil M.

--
"Do, or do not. There is no try." -Yoda