Beginner's advice

I seem to have been getting caught in the rain almost every time I've gone running lately. This makes me feel like a warrior.

I read in Runner's World that "it's difficult when you first begin running. it doesn't feel good, and most of the time you feel like a failure." This is true for me. But reading this helped me realize that I am a beginner runner. I may have been a state champion (ha) swimmer in high school, but I am 23 now. I am FIVE years out of high school. I'm pathetic. And so when I stopped 10 minutes into what was supposed to be a 35 minute run, bending over in chest pain, I decided to keep going.
And I decided to go again tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow I'll make it 11 minutes.

Even though I'm a beginner, I have some advice for female runners. And I will dispense that advice now: Before going on a run, check to see if there is a chance of rain. If the skies are heavily overcast and it's been raining sporadically for the past 24 hours, there is a good chance that you'll get rained on. Wipe off your mascara before you go running. Because the only thing people want to see running is YOU.