It finally happened: I was able to get out there and run three miles yesterday after work. Yes, I was very slow, and yes, it was painful near the end. While running, I even contemplated shortening my run to 2 or 2.5 miles, but I haven’t run less than 3 miles in over two years, so I kept going and when I hit 3.01 miles, I stopped.

I walked another 3/4 miles as a cool-down, and yes, when I sat down, my muscles ached. But what didn’t hurt was that tendon on my right knee. Yes, it does hurt a little this morning, but that was to be expected. It’s been two months since my last run, and I made sure to not push it too hard, but I did expect a little bit of soreness.

I will take today off as a rest day and I will run again tomorrow. If the past is any indication, tomorrow’s run will be even slower than yesterday’s, and I’m okay with that. My goal right now is to get back to 3x a week running and to hit 3+ miles every run. I don’t care how slow I am or how long it takes; I just want to get back to a rhythm of running 3x a week. When I ran 3x a week two years ago, I got down to 160 lbs. It felt great, I looked great, and running was easy! I’m 20 lbs heavier now, and my legs feel it when I run. I want to be back in the 160’s, and I believe that through my diet and running, I’ll get back there.

Oh, and there’s this matter of the new Army Combat Fitness Test that’s replacing the current Army Physical Fitness Test. If that plan goes through, then I will have a lot of work to do to be able to pass it. My goal is to pass, not ace. I’m too old to ace it now. But as of this moment, I couldn’t pass it. That will change.

So, I’m happy to be back to running. I can’t (and won’t) say it was a pleasurable experience to run yesterday, but it wasn’t bad either, and I felt accomplished afterward.