Day 1 is the fun one. You've got the adrenaline, the sunset, the story. The rest of Week 1 is where you find out whether you're actually doing this.

Quick catch-up if you're just joining me: I'm 56, I'm training for the Heart Walk on Saturday, November 14 at Goodyear Civic Square, and I'm doing it from the couch up. Day 1 was 3.15 miles in 46 minutes and 40 seconds, part jog and part walk. You can read how that went in I'm a doctor and I'm still starting from the couch.

5:30 in the morning

The morning after Day 1 I did something that sounds boring and was the smartest move of the week. I took a walk. Not a run. A plain walk: 1.49 miles in 28 minutes and 36 seconds, about 126 calories. Slow enough to have a conversation with myself.

Why? Because I noticed a long time ago that my legs and back sometimes tighten up. A good walk keeps them loose. That's not a training secret, it's just paying attention to my own body, which is something I tell patients to do all day and ignore when it's my turn.

Day 2: the run nobody saw

Thursday I was supposed to run. Thursday became Friday - we had a family celebration that mattered more than a run, and I'd make that trade again every time.

Friday night I ran. Day 2, done. And I forgot to record one single second of it. No map, no splits, no proof on my watch. The best we can do is a reconstruction from my phone's health data: about 2.8 miles, 6,574 steps, roughly 216 calories. That's an estimate, not a recording - take it with a grain of salt.

Here's the thing: it still happened. The miles count whether or not an app writes them down. And the review from the only witness - me: pace felt relatively faster than the previous run, I made fewer stops, and I felt stronger. That's perception, not measurement, but I'll take it. (But record your runs. This is killing me.)

Day 3: the walk that isn't a workout

Sunday night I did not run.

I only walked since I had just eaten dinner. I was tempted to just sit it out but decided that even a walk was a win so I put on my sneakers and just did it. My wife walked with me too, so it was a double win!

The official record: 2.98 miles in 57 minutes and 41 seconds, 253 calories, about a 19:22 mile. Slower than Day 1's 14:49, and worth every minute. Not every session is a run. The job on an easy day is to keep the legs moving, keep stiff joints from locking up, and keep the habit alive so it doesn't quietly die on Day 4.

The plan I'm following has three run-walk sessions a week, with rest or easy days in between. My brain wants to go hard every day. My brain is not the one who has to get out of bed in the morning.

What Week 1 actually looked like

If you want to follow along, Week 1 is gentle on purpose:

  • Warm up with five minutes of brisk walking.
  • Eight rounds of one minute of easy jogging, then a minute and a half of walking.
  • Cool down with five minutes of walking.
  • Three sessions this week, never back to back.
  • Pace check: you should be able to talk, but not sing. If you can't talk, slow down.
  • A hard week? Repeat it. Nobody's grading you.

Yes, I've been going past the one-minute jogs. Do as I say for Week 1, not as I do.

The trial part

The hard part isn't the miles. It's the decision at 5:45 in the evening, or at 5:30 in the morning, when every part of you would like to stay exactly where you are. The sneakers-by-the-door trick is working so far. I'll tell you when it stops.

A week isn't graded on speed. It's graded on whether you're still in it on Sunday.

Each of these small decisions is a vote for a stronger heart, better sleep and fewer unpleasant surprises down the road. That's the real reason I'm doing it, and the Heart Walk just gives me a date and a good cause.

Join me, or chip in

The walk is for the American Heart Association. If you'd like to join us on November 14, the event page is here: https://www2.heart.org/site/TR/HeartWalk/WSA-WesternStatesAffiliate?pg=entry&fr_id=13239

And if you'd rather support my fundraising, my page is here: https://www2.heart.org/site/TR/HeartWalk/WSA-WesternStatesAffiliate?pg=personal&px=4095190&fr_id=13239

Somebody already did - the first donation landed this week: thirty bucks from my old friend Rob. That's another upside I didn't see coming - this thing gives you one more way to connect with friends. Thanks, Rob.

Week 1 survived: two runs, two walks, one forgotten recording, zero injuries. I'll check back after Week 2.

This is general education, not a diagnosis or a treatment plan for you. Symptoms, history, exam findings, and other conditions change what care is right. Talk with your own clinician for advice tailored to you.