Tonight marks the start of a new era for me: at 6:30 pm, I start my very first Learn to Run clinic at the local Running Room. That’s right, I’m joining the cult of running. For more than a year, I’ve watched Melanie strap on her shoes and hit the pavement three times a week. Each night she returns rejuvinated and bursting with energy. It’s sickening. But I remember that feeling from my days of cycling and I’m not getting any younger and definitely not any fitter, so I’m giving it a go.

Last night, we bought me some spanking brand new (yellow-trimmed!) running shoes. That’s them in all their pre-running newness and let me tell you, there is a science to buying the right shoe. I don’t pretend to understand it all, but apparently these beauties will help stablize my gait, support my puny arches and perform a dozen other essential tasks to help me figure out this whole running business.

Tonight is the first clinic, so we’re starting off nice and easy: one minute running and two minutes walking. Simple, right? Well, it’s been a while since my butt’s been off the couch, so we’ll see how I do.

In the meantime, to show the confidence I have in myself and this latest endeavour, I’ve added a new “running” category to the blog. In it, I hope to track my progress and bore you with all the details of my new cult membership, er I mean activity.