run like a girl

I've been doing recreational running for officially one year now. If you count the months I could barely do 6KPH on the folding treadmill in the office (I call this my pretend running phase), then I've been at this thing for almost a year and a half.

Early this month, I joined an official running event which dear friend Barry helped organize. My speed has improved to 8.2KPH. It's not fast, but it is within the "ideal" range for a long-distance running where it's not the speed but the consistency that matters. My goal is to slowly improve my speed to 8.7KPH, and maybe 9KPH by the end of the year. I don't intend to run faster than that. I just want to go longer.

Why I am doing this

When I started running a year ago, my goal was not to lose weight or anything cosmetic like that. I just wanted to develop stamina for the great European adventure. That was a success. After all, I did brisk walk through 8 European cities. (Just a few months before that, I could barely walk around Hanoi.)

MSP also took up recreational running around the same time I did. I'm faster than him right now, but I know he'll catch up. You see, MSP was athletic in his younger days - he did soccer in high school and swimming in college, while I was...eh...I was debating. (I knoooow.)

Running also gives me a very welcome break from all the thinking that I have to do every day. Even if I'm just on the treadmill (of the free condo gym) running at 8.8KPH and looking out the pool, I am at peace. It's even better when I do actual road work in the UP oval. Exhilirating.



Fitting in

Weight loss was just a consequence of my running; it was never the goal. I have lost only around 8 pounds since I started, which means I lost it all slowly over one whole year. It was such a slow and steady weight loss that no one noticed it except me and MSP, who is the only regular checker of my ass size. Friends - even those I haven't seen in years - just say I look more toned. No one ever realizes I actually lost some weight.

Now I can wear skinny jeans without my hips looking like China, and I can do the Indian sit without getting the dreaded muffin top. Even more importantly, I still eat like an Italian and I drink wine like the French. For a foodie and whino nearing 30, that's all that matters.

Hobby, not sport

I have stopped losing weight even though I run regularly. Perhaps this - around 112 lbs - is where my body naturally sits. No complaints. I feel stronger and healthier now than I've ever felt. I'm still a "recreational runner" in that running is not my life (and I don't ever want it to be). I can't imagine getting more serious about it. I don't ever want running to feel like work.

What now

My next local run is in June, and then October.

Slowly but surely, MSP and I will eventually run the annual Great Wall of China Marathon. We're giving ourselves two years to train for this. We are not gunning for the marathon, but just the half marathon or the 10KM at the very least, depending on our fitness level by the time we decide to go. It should be a totally different challenge, as it is more about climbing than running. Bahala na.

I should stop taking the elevator.