I was supposed to run last night, but it was 28 degrees out, so I waited till the morning.

Not the early morning -- about 9:30 to be exact. But around my household, that's pretty early.

Day 3 of the Couch to 5K program calls for:
5 minute run
3 minute jog
5 minute run

I stretched it to about 5 / 4 / 6. I didn't have my watch with me so I can't be sure.

When I finished up, I found a big puddle outside my house completely covered with a thin sheet of ice. Reminded me of being a kid in Lodi. On cold nights, we'd get out  the hose and make big puddles to see the ice on them in the morning.

This was the first exercise day I felt like I was pushing myself. Toward the end of the jog segment, I was winded and wheezing, experiencing a bad side ache and just feeling generally out of shape. I think it was a combination of things that made me feel this way:

• morning tiredness,
• no energy because I hadn't eaten,
• dehydration from not drinking any water before I left, and
• the cold (it's still only 32 degrees).

Is that enough excuses? But despite all the excuses, I did complete my goal. Once again, as on Day 1, I am coughing quite a bit, hacking from congestion.

The good news is this was the first day of the three that I haven't felt any pain in my joints. On the first two days, my knees and ankles were giving me some grief. Bad knees have plagued me since high school when I broke my knee playing basketball in gym class. Last time I tried to start up a running regime (about 3 years ago), I had to stop after a couple weeks because of my knees. That's actually one of the reasons I wanted to try the Couch to 5K program -- an associate at a former job told me it was the best way of gradually getting old and sore joints into shape.

Good post-run stretching is also important. Stretching also improves flexibility in general which is always a plus.

So far, so good, but then again, it's only Day 3. Cough, cough.