I went for a run this weekend.
A long and familiar eight-mile dash along the seawall
I’m trying to ease back slowly into a regular running schedule.
I ran for the first time in months two weekends ago, and I could barely walk the next day.
There’s a term for this affliction; Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness – DOMS for short.
This was a good run and I wasn’t sore the next day, my goal is to do one short run this week.

Weather permitting, I’d like to keep up the regular weekend runs; I’d forgotten how much I enjoy running in the mornings on weekends.
I’m using the Nike+ GPS app on the iPhone to track my runs; it’s also a coach and motivator of sorts.
I prefer it to my Garmin Forerunner and the mapping seems as accurate as the forerunner.
It’s easy to use and has a nice interface; it’s a very well made app with some very nice features.

Along with calculating distance, pace and the route, it has a voice feedback feature with updates as you run.
It syncs automatically and seamlessly with my Nikeplus.com account.
You can also create a list of songs you like to run to, and you get motivational messages from other athletes when you set personal records.
But there’s more… you can share your run on Facebook and Twitter.
The Cheer Me On feature, I haven’t yet used this yet, it let’s your friends on Facebook send you live cheers, comments and Likes.

You probably already know that the seawall is my favourite running route.
Well, it’s also due to a little laziness on my part since it’s practically my backyard; but there’s no denying that it’s lovely and inspiring.
I’m actually looking forward to trying out other exciting routes, I just have to wake up a little early for those.

We had the perfect fall weekend; it was sunny, cool and beautiful – perfect for a run.

And here are some old posts on my weird relationship with running…

I’m sore and tired from the past two days’ workout, apparently I’m more out of shape than I thought.
Here, let’s take a look at some fit and healthy looking people doing fit and healthy looking things.

I went for a run today!
I think I’d mentioned before that I hadn’t ran since October of 2009,
I checked my running stats and it looks like it’s been more than a year; that run in October was a fluke.
It was one of those acts of desperation that was never to be repeated.

Mon 7 Jun 10 – Evening Run

I started out this evening a little guarded, I felt strange, putting one foot in front of the other, trying to pick up the pace.
It was almost as if I was embarking on a strange ritual.

In the beginning all I could think of was how much I wanted to stop, turn around and go back home.
I felt extremely tired, out of shape and couldn’t think through my laboured breathing.
‘I can’t believe I use to do this nearly every day, and at some point deluded myself into thinking that I actually enjoyed it’
I thought to myself.
I managed to keep going, dragging and toiling through it, it felt like I’d been at it for hours, but it had been just a few minutes.
After a while, I must have gotten used to the torturous feeling because I decided it wasn’t that bad, that maybe I could do this after all.

There’s something about running that I’d missed… that feeling of being alone… with my thoughts.
I’m a loner, and running gives me that loneliness I crave without the weirdness of the feeling of wanting to be alone.
I didn’t have any music or podcasts, it was just me breathing.
By mid-run, I’d settled into a comfortable pace, I didn’t mind that I was moving or the exertion.
There was a melodic rhythm to my pace.
It felt nice, in a way exercises could only feel.
Two and the half miles in, I decided to turn back, the run back was much easier and relaxed.
I was settled, almost back into the swing of things, albeit very slowly.

Outfit Details – Jacket – Aritzia (Kit for Cloth), Striped Shirt – Banana Republic, Pants – Baia (The Bay), Shoes – Nine West

I think a lot when I’m running; I’d sort of forgotten about that, I decided not to let tomorrow into my thoughts.
I’m taking this one day at a time, I ran five miles today and that’s all that matters.
Maybe I’ll run another five miles tomorrow, maybe I’ll run seven miles, and maybe it’ll rain tomorrow.

I’ve managed to wane my magazine subscriptions to two; Runner’s World and Bon Appétit.

Apparently print is dying, people are predicting with certainly that newspapers and magazines will soon be a thing of the past.

I hope these two stick it out for a while.

I feel a little defeated whenever I get another copy of Runner’s World, It’s like an obvious reminder of yet another month I haven’t run.

It’s almost as if I’m holding out for the one that motivates me enough to hit the pavement again.

The November issue of Runner’s World had a little inspiring write-up on Gilbert Tuhabonye.

It’s was a series on what it feels like to run in certain situations, Gilbert’s piece was on “how it feels to run for your life”.

When Gilbert was in high school in his native Burundi, Hutu rebels invaded his school and set fire to the building with him and other Tutsi kids and teachers� inside.

Most of the people inside died from the smoke and blaze, but Gilbert broke a window, jumped, landed amid the rebels and started running.

They chased after him with machetes but he kept running… for his life, he didn’t realize then that his back was ablaze.

Gilbert survived with third-degree burns on over thirty percent of his body.

But that’s not where Gilbert’s story ends, he kept on running… he’d go on to run and win many races, become a national champion runner in the US.

He’s a star in the running world, He wrote a bestseller, and now coaches other runners in Austin.

Rousing stories like these are the reason why I’m still subscribed to these magazines, I never would have known Gilbert’s story otherwise.

His story makes me want to run again and become a better runner.

I’ve rejoined the group. The informal group of men and women and sometimes the odd dog or baby, we wake up early in the morning and in silent camaraderie take to the pavements, sidewalks and trails; with one foot in front of the other, we run.

I’m glad I took a break; I knew it was a good thing when I stopped feeling guilty for not having ran.

Last Saturday felt like a real spring day – I initially thought of going for a walk but then wondered to myself “why walk when I can run” so I laced up my sneakers and headed out. The initial rush was great; it felt familiar; like I did it everyday.

This is the longest I’ve gone without running since I started running almost seven years ago. Back then it all seemed so focused, I loved discovering new routes and pushing myself.

These days I run the same routes and do as little as possible. I don’t know how to make it be like it used to. Running and I are like an old couple, we just need to figure out how to get the magic back.