The joy of running

So, finally I started running. Some part of me always wanted to get up early in the morning and go for a short run. I started running some weeks ago and was quite gung-ho about the whole thing for the first week. As the days progressed I fell back to my old routine of walking up late and taking it as an excuse for not running in the morning. Running on the road in the evening is not a good option in Bangalore, what with the traffic and the pollution.

The first day when I started was an eye-opener. Any kind of cardio exercise can leave you exhausted when you are on the wrong side of 25 and have not done any kind of physical activity in ages. After just about a few hundred meters the mouth cracked and I was gasping for breath. So, I alternated between running and walking. When I returned home the whole body was hot with blood and wet with sweat. Although I was not very exhausted, the muscles were sore; but I had some satisfaction that I had completed the distance. This was probably my most vigorous physical activity in the last couple of years (I have played some tennis and done some trekking but these activities do not compare to running).

I think running gives some kind of high. Not sure if it is just me or if it happens with everyone, but it does elevate the mood and is also a great stress buster.

I ran 3 km on the first day in 16 minutes. Today I did it in 12 min. I am not sure how much time an average beginner should take to run 3 Km on a part-concrete-part-tarred road. For now though, this seems enough motivation. I have decided to run every alternate day, slowly increasing the pace and the distance. Let me see if I can stick to it.