The Running Adventure Continues

My foray into the world of running has not been the smoothest transition. It's not an abject failure but I'm sure many others have had an easier transition. I have not quit, in fact I have gone for 3 runs this week. They are not long runs but they are making a difference.

I did do something to my knee a bit over a month ago which left me limping for a few days and unable to run for sixteen days. Once I thought my knee was good to go, I got back at it. Needless to say the knee wasn't quite ready and that kept me to a walking pace for another twelve days. The second time I restarted this journey I put a brace on the suspect knee and things have been good ever since.

This new activity is in addition to all my current activity. I'm still walking to work everyday. I'm still in the gym three times a week and I still do everything I was doing before. My body has kindly informed me that I have added to my fitness regime and not substituted one activity for another. My endurance is slowly improving and my legs are screaming at me to give them a break. Now that I have found a pace I can just keep going as long as I want, it is simply mind over matter.

I originally took on running because I was convinced by a friend to run the 5km in the Army Run but I have since started to see it as a long term activity. There are a few upsides to running. You can basically run anywhere. It's great exercise and makes all your other exercises easier in the long run as your heart and lungs can get more oxygen to your hard working muscles. It can be scenic. Like all exercise, it helps control stress and makes sleeping much more rewarding. People are generally impressed by the fact that you are going for a run.

It's been nearly ten years since I started to exercise regularly and as I look back I'm happy with my choice to live an active life. It has made so much in my life better. The one take-away I have from this all is, it isn't important what you do, its important that you are doing something regularly.