Jogging: Attempt no. 1

I  went jogging this morning. This is the first time I have run (voluntarily) since I was 8 year old. I always used to believe that there was no reason to run unless I was being chased. I decided to start jogging because I now (for the first time since Kayla was born) have some 'me time' and I thought it would be a great way to start the day.

However, it was not great, it was not even OK. It was horrible. Two minutes into it I realised that I had made a terrible mistake and I almost turned around. What stopped me from turning around was the fact that I was running down hill and so turning around would have required me to run uphill. It was ridiculous. There I was, just running away from the hill but also realising that every step I took took me further away from home, but I could not stop. I was stupidly determined; I said I was going to do this so now I am doing it.

The problem with jogging in Hout Bay is that, unless you live on a road that is long and without hills, you are almost always going to encounter a hill whether its when you leave your home or when you are returning home. When I finally reached this hill (the one leading home) I pretended that the Boogie Man was chasing me in order to get myself up the hill. This, however, did not work. I ran up hill for about 30 seconds and then stopped and mumbled to myself "f*#k the Boogie Man". I ran about 30 percent of the way and for the rest I walked like a lazy depressed teenager.

When I got home I could barely walk; my legs felt like jelly. They are still tingling and shaky. The question I am now asking myself is whether or not I do this to myself again tomorrow? I know that I should and that it will get easier but I also want the feeling in my legs to return a.s.a.p. Mmm...yes, no, yes, no...yes! I will do it again but I will make the distance a lot shorter and maybe drive a to a long straight road without any hills. Yip, sounds like a plan. My name is Klara de Villiers and I am a jogger.

"When there is no turning back, we should concern ourselves only with the best way of going forward." The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho

"When you travel towards your objective, be sure to pay attention to your path. The path teaches us the best way to arrive and enriches us while we are travelling along it." The Pilgrimage, Paulo Coelho