Pretty good day but could have be better #Progress

Just before I went to bed last night, I did this:

I decided to lay all the clothes that I intended to wear for my run on the floor next to my bed. I was determined to go for my first run of 2013 and this was the best way to convince me to do it.

My alarm clock went off at 6:00am, I felt pretty tired and my pillow suddenly looked extra fluffy and comfy. I hadn't slept well throughout the night and I was feeling slightly hungry because I didn't have any dinner the night before. I gave myself a quick energy boost by eating a Satsuma and with a few words of encouragement from friends on Twitter. Off I went.

This was my 2nd run since November, so I knew it wasn't going to be enjoyable. I think during the opening 10 yards I swore about 5 times. I continued swearing throughout the 3 miles in the dark, cold, foggy park but that didn't prevent me from completing the entire run without stopping once. If anything, it made me knuckle down and grit my teeth because I was determined to prove to myself that I could do this. My legs were feeling pretty good throughout the run. They didn't feel heavy and despite my slow pace, I felt that it was only my breathing that prevented me from going faster. My chest and lungs felt compressed which I'm assuming was due to the recent flu I had just recovered from. It did feel good to get some fresh air into my lungs, that's one thing I enjoy about exercising outside.

I'm going to take it easy this week and give myself a rest tomorrow then run on Wednesday, Friday and either go for a run or play football on Saturday. 

My eating started off pretty good today. I ate my 5 portions of fruit and veg, I drank a couple of pints of liquid (tea, water, juice) but I let myself down in the evening by buying fish and chips. The smell punches me in the face as soon as I walk towards the chip shop, which is located at the bottom of my road. It's irresistible. Tomorrow I'm going to have to walk a different route home. I know I need to stop giving into temptations. Despite that minor hiccup, I'm not going to beat myself up over it because overall I think I did pretty well. I ran 3 miles then I walked 3 miles to work and then 3 miles home again, which meant I added over 21,000 steps towards my 15 million steps challenge. 

There's definitely room for improvement but I'm on the right track again.