T'was a Good Run

I mean that literally.

Tonight I ran (okay, jogged) around UP after over a month. Aside from not running for a while, I have to say that I'm far from being a strong and happy runner, doing it only for the sake of cross-training. It has always been a struggle for me -- physically and mentally, and I'm sure this has become especially true since I started declaring my aversion for it.

For me, practically every run is a battle with my pride: Do I slow down or speed up? Do I turn here or there? Do I take the short-cut or the "long-cut"? And the answer is almost always a compromise -- something just enough to get my heart rate up, but never to push myself to my running limit. And I would adamantly justify to myself, "Why would I need to push myself this hard in running, anyway?! I'm a climber, not a runner!"

Just some of my conversations with myself ;)

But tonight, it felt different. Despite the humid weather, I was able to keep a steady pace and actually do three rounds in the Academic Oval without feeling tortured! My breathing was calm, and I was able to recover on the downward slopes, enough so that I didn't have to struggle and slow down on the flat and slightly-upward slopes. I even went faster on my second and third rounds, even if I thought I was going slower (reverse psychology?) Best of all, my side stitches didn't act up so much, and just stayed in a teeny tiny corner of my tummy, which I think played a huge part in not screwing up my breathing.

Before you think I'm gonna get more into running, let me tell you that I'm NOT. I'm just writing down tonight's experience for the sake of documentation, to remind myself that I can actually enjoy running (when my side stitches aren't twisting up my insides).

Because tonight also reminded me of how running can provide a different exercise; a relaxing kind where I don't have to think or strategize, as opposed to climbing where it sometimes gets aggressive and agitating...Running, as it showed me tonight, let me keep my gaze in one place, my heartbeat steady, and my thoughts float to wherever the breeze took them.

I only wish to feel that feeling again, and not let this be a one-off, like how we usually wrap-up once-in-a-lifetime experiences with the bittersweet phrase, "T'was a good run."