An Update About Jogging

So a month ago I posted about how I hate jogging outside. I asked readers to convince me to give it another chance. They did and so I've been jogging 3 to 5 times a week ever since.  I still hate it.

Two weeks ago my knee swelled up like a hemorrhoid on a old person or pregnant woman...take your pick. There wasn't any pain in my knee but it swelled nice and big.  Out of all my years of running on an elliptical I've never had any knee problems.  I will say however that it has gotten easier. I will also say that I do enjoy the challenge of pushing myself to see how far I can go. On Tuesday I went over 3 miles for the first time in my life. 

The following are some interesting things that I've noticed since I started jogging...

• The first mile is still hard. It's no longer hard because my lungs feel like they are going to explode, but it is hard because I feel like at any moment my legs will give out from under me. One night it was so bad I thought I was going to have to crawl to a strangers house and beg them to let me use their phone to call my wife so she could pick me up. That would have been ha-larious...after the matter. Can you imagine if a fat white guy, who you didn't know, and who looked like he was about to die, crawled up to your doorstep and asked to use the phone?
• I jog in my neighborhood and certain sections have their own smell.  There is one section that smells like lovely lady perfume. Now lovely lady is not a brand but a thought I have. It smells like a lovely old lady who put way too much perfume on. She's nice and the smell isn't bad, but it slaps you in the face.  There is also the dryer sheet smell. I don't know why it's so strong or consistent, but one corner always smells like someone is drying clothes. There is also a section that smells like a gas leak, and an occasional dog poo smell.
• After the first mile something kicks in and my body stops hurting. From there it's just a mental game where I have to convince myself to keep going instead of going home to watch TV.
• It's easier on me to jog at night then in the morning. I don't know why, but I can go farther if I go at night.
• I like jogging to slower music more than I do upbeat music. I tried this the other day and it helped me keep my pace slower. A slower pace has allowed me to go farther.
• I sweat a lot. So much so that I've been thinking about carrying around a sweat towel.
• When I burp I get discouraged. For some reason I feel like a burp pushes me backwards and slows me down. I know it doesn't, but I think that I feel this way because it's the opposite of how I feel when I poot. 

Well that's it for this jogging update. For all you joggers who read my blog...if you have any suggestions for some new jogging shoes I'm going to get some this weekend.  Let me know what you like.