Back on the Green Belt with Weight Update

So far, the diet has been going very well.  I'm not super strict; however, I do stick to plan most days.  I've also become much better at getting in regular exercise even adding some weight training to my normal cardio workouts.  Overall, I'm now down 17 pounds from my start weight.  A bigger issue for me though is that I'm feeling much better.  That would show during the run.

This week I finally made it back out to the trail at the Barton Creek Green Belt.  I work only a couple of miles from the Hill of Life so I really should be there more often, but I work from home so much that it isn't as much of an opportunity as I may seem. 

As I hit the trail, I wasn't really sure what to expect.  Would the knee hurt, would it turn out to be mostly a hike, would I cut it short, or would I actually be able to enjoy a slow run of 5 - 6 miles?  My initial goal was to explore some of the trails to the north and west of the Hill of Life.  I used to run a few of these, but lately things have been too routine.  After getting a bit turned around over there the last time I was out running here, I decided it would be beneficial to know these trails a little better and make the run a little more interesting.

To start, I will be taking this long route down the hill of life again. It was rocky, rolling, and twisty. In some places, the GPS track doesn't do it justice.  It also took about 2 miles of this twisty stuff to get to the creek near the bottom of the Hill of Life.

I then took the main trail down to almost Twin Falls before turning around.  I was allowing myself a short walk of 15 - 30 seconds every 5 minutes; however, I found myself skipping the walk a couple of times.  Run pace was very slow for me, but I'm just happy to be running again.  And while the final hike up the Hill of Life slow, I felt much stronger climbing it than I have in a long time. 

There was a little knee pain during the run, but none of it lingered after I was finished.  I believe the weight lifting may be helping in that area as well.  I think the time I've spent on the rowing machine has also helped.

Mostly, I believe carrying 17 fewer pounds made the run much more enjoyable than any run I've had lately.  I'll be limiting the runs quite a bit still and spend time rowing and cycling. I'm already looking forward to the next run.  It has been a while since they have been something to look forward to.
http://www.mapmyfitness.com/routes/fullscreen/69339334/