I began a "serious" effort to get back into shape on April 8th.  I bought some GPS software for the Pocket PC to track my efforts and then I set some fitness goals of running in a 10k and half marathon later this year.

I have been tracking my progress since April, but I have not always tracked my workouts with GPS because when I run the same route over and over again, the GPS route is not all that interesting.  Here’s the detail of my progress from April 8th to today.

A slow start in April

I ran a grand total of 8 miles spread over 4 sessions. I think I ran a little more than that, but since I wasn’t in the habit of logging my runs, April’s progress is a little understated.

Got a little better in May

…but running only on the weekends will not cut the mustard.  I missed logging a few sessions in May again, but still not a very proud report.

Finally! Off and running in June

Setting some goals gave me the kick in the pants I needed to get going.  Barely through the middle of the month and I’ve got more to report than I’ve had for the last two months combined.  I feel like my mental state is finally getting in the right place and I am encouraged and a little enthusiastic.

The blue icons show actual runs; the gray icons are scheduled runs that are shown as appointments in my calendar.

The route that I usually take starts from my mailbox and is quite hilly.  At this time, I am walking almost as much as I am running.  It will be a huge achievement when I am able to run the entire route, and I will be sure to report that achievement when it happens.

I figure any kind of activity that gets me off the couch and out the door is an improvement and helps to improve my fitness, so you can see I’ve included some hiking and biking in the mix.

From here on out, I’ll report my progress at least once a month.  Be sure to check back again to see how I finish out the month.

tags: getting back in shape