If you would have told me 5 years, 3 years, 1 year, or even 3 months ago, that one day I would be 50 minutes into a run with a big beaming smile on my face, I would have never believed you, but today it happened.
My base building schedule is giving me good results. I did this week’s long run this morning and it was 7 minutes longer than last week’s long run. I ran 8.5 kilometres in 67 minutes.
And the best thing was: I was smiling. I was having fun. Running on an easy pace has been such a game changer for me. Sure, I’m probably the slowest runner on earth. It’s more like jogging, just a little bit faster than my speed when I do a brisk walk. But I’m running. I’m building a base, I’m doing the first steps, and from here I can grow.
I’m also discovering another fun element to the sport: exploration. I moved to my current city less than a year ago and it is unexplored territory. I’m now creating a network of nice runs and circuits for myself and I’m discovering places I would never have discovered otherwise. Now that I’m able to run longer distances, I can start exploring more. Just running on one direction for half and hour and seeing where I end up. Then I look for a nice way back, and this way I’ve discoverd a few nice rounds already.
Today the sun was shining, it was 17 degrees, I did the longest run I’ve ever done, and when I came back I felt good: energized, happy and satisfied. The endorphins where rushing through my body. Not exactly a “runner’s high”, I think, but definitely a sense of calm and achievement.
Last week my knee started to hurt during my 60 minute run, but this week I had no pain at all. My body is adjusting.
I’m coming to a point where I’m starting to fall in love with running. I just pray I won’t run into injuries!
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