Getting Rusty...Just a Bit

Image courtesy of Ambro at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I have not been running for so long that the word backsliding is not even an apt term.  To say that I am just a tad better than a couch potato is closer to the truth.  And if I have not signed up for the Milo Marathon this coming December 7, I might have continued with this downward spiral when it comes to fitness.  Am I turning into a sloth? No way!

With just two weeks before the run, I really had to force myself last Tuesday.  I didn't like going out these days specially after dark.  It makes me uncomfortable, less safe because you know what this season brings on.  But I figured, I have to practice somehow and since I have work and cannot do it in the daylight, night running is my only option.

Also, with the pressure and stress at work these days, I needed to get out, clear my mind, run around, whatever.  Change of scene is always good.  And so, there I was running around Ayala Triangle.  The first 20 minutes were okay.  In fact, it was better than I expected.  I thought I'd be gasping and panting by that time with my tongue hanging out, but I must be doing something right with the breathing part that I just felt fine.  Of course, I maintained a slow pace averaging at 8 minutes and 44 seconds per kilometer, according to RunKeeper.  Thank God the GPS was working fine.  There were times I could not get a decent GPS signal.  

Another 20 minutes and my left knee was calling for a time out already.  My right calf by then was experiencing minor cramps.  That's because I was being careful with my left toe and knee that my right leg must be absorbing more pressure.  Surprisingly, my lungs and heart are still up for the activity.  Why can't they just all work in tandem so I can run longer?  

I'm getting a bit rusty for lack of practice.  Still, it was a good run.  And it did get my mind off work even just for a while.  The morning after was another story.  Hahaha I can't get myself off the bed.  It felt like I didn't sleep at all and my legs and back were stiff.  Serves me right for being so lazy in the past months.  Oh well...that's the price for being lazy.  Lesson learned, I hope.