The receipt says I bought the app on or about November 20th, 2012. That means it has been a little over a year since I started running. There's a gap in the summer months of this year, even though it doesn't really get very hot in Vancouver (maybe for 2 weeks). Maybe it's my Icelandic blood, but I prefer to run in the cold.

The reason I avoided running for so long, all through college and after, even on the treadmill, was that it was so high-impact. I'd always done the stationary bike for cardio, and now regular cycling in the not-freezing months. When running, I do notice strain on my calves and shins sometimes, but rest, yoga and stretching helps with that.

Running in the morning is a struggle, but then, so is everything, being a not-morning person. I mostly run during evenings on weekdays and afternoons on weekends. On some mornings I'm able to sit down and will myself to run. It's mostly just a matter of finding pre-existing will from the previous night, after setting out running clothes and making sure there is something small to eat. I finally bought a pair of dedicated running shoes after a year with my basketball shoes (since washed so I can use them indoors).

Which app do I use? More like which apps, plural, do I use? I stopped using the Couch-to-5K app pending a support request. The app doesn't add up the total time right (right now the number is negative) and while all my runs are logged, the dates are missing from some of them. I've started the training program over again, and with a different C25K app.

I listen to podcasts while running. The Welcome to Night Vale podcast and Joseph Planta's interview podcast are my favourites.

The Moves app runs constantly in the background, and using Moves Export, if the running stretches are long enough, it will post to RunKeeper. (I used to have RunKeeper for the runs, but no longer.)

I wouldn't have started running without using an app to track it. Running seemed daunting until having a program, and even though the programs were available for quite some time (like those training programs marathon have always put out beforehand), having a handheld computer tell me when to start and stop is better than having to track it myself. It's also fun to relive it through the map right after the run and the stats, and having Fog of World tell me where I haven't been shows me alleyways and streets and neighbourhoods I'd never consider otherwise and gets me running farther and father away from home.