Rest

While in New York waiting for the train home, I go to Borders and there in the sports section are about twenty books on triathlons. I hold off on buying any just now. I really need to prove I can run three miles before I buy anything more. Here i am already babbling about training for a triathlon and running two miles wipes me out. My legs and knees still feel dead.

At home I get an email from my brother for a web site called Runner's World

I read a column there about mistakes a beginner can make, and it includes trying to run to much too soon.

Safe and Sound

Law 1: Increase Mileage Gradually

Why: Bumping up your weekly total with a few miles here and there may not seem like a major burden on your body--until you think about all those steps that make up each of those miles. That's why sudden jumps in mileage are a leading cause of injury. Your body needs adequate rest to recover from your increased mileage, and that requires a gradual approach.

How: Increase mileage by no more than 10 to 20 percent a week. So if you're running three miles a day, three times a week, the next week you'd run about 3.5 miles on those three days. Also, build plateaus into your training. After increasing mileage for three weeks, hold steady for a week or two before increasing again. If you want to run four days a week, you'd still want to increase your overall time running by only 10 to 20 percent. If you're a veteran coming back from a break, don't try to pick up where you left off. Determine a comfortable base volume from which to start--no more than 50 percent of your previous weekly mileage. If you've only been off for a few weeks, you might start from a base of 3 miles a day and then increase with the same 10- to 20-percent principle.

I'm hoping that's why my legs are so dead, and not that my knees are shot and I will never be able to complete even a sprint triathlon.

Today was day of rest