Side effects

So today I ran for half an hour for the first time. Rodelinda, among others of my friends who run, had promised me that at the point where I could run for half an hour, I'd pretty much be able to keep going forever. So I tried and could only keep going for another 90 seconds. Oh well. That's still more 1,800 more seconds than I could run without stopping for a break two months ago. It is rather exciting picking up a habit like this, having a plan - a fairly lose one but a considered, gradual one I've been faithful to - and see what happens over such a short time. A body that can run for half an hour versus a body that can run for 90 seconds are two different things, but in my case nothing seperates them except for seven weeks or so, which is really bizarre.

The manifest differences are not totally what I was expecting. There's been some weight loss, which is good, because I think you need to be pretty skinny to be comfortable in this climate. As mentioned yesterday I'm a much better fucker now, which is interesting and exciting. Today I noticed something I'd been suspecting for a few weeks, which is that my tits are definitely a lot smaller. That was interesting but rather less exciting, but so far their shape is still pretty good so I can live with it. Since I started running, my premenstrual fucked-offedness has morphed from a deeply melancholy, angry moodiness to being snappy in a way that's even funny for me, which is great.

No serious chafing yet, and no black toenails, which between them are the two best arguments I can think of for not taking up running. I've been warned to expect them. Yay.

The one difference is a diffence of method which I wasn't expecting; I've given up listening to music or indeed anything when I'm running. The birds here are too interesting and running is also a nice balance between the intimacy of walking and the speed of bike riding - it gives you a good chance to notice things. In fact, the house whose hopefully-pending mortgage we just got pre-approval on was something that I found while I was out on one of my laborious, fitful interval runs soon after we got back from Victoria in early January. I'm pretty excited about it though I am wondering what the hell we're doing a little bit. Oh well.