all about running

After about ten weeks with the Couch-to-5k programme, I finally completed my first 30 minute jog tonight. It was a truly perfect experience. I ran as the sun was setting over Noranda, making sharp-edged black sillouhettes out of eucalyptus trees and power lines. I ran past bushes covered in freshly-blossomed bursts of bright red flowers, and past unassuming suburban homes with strings of coloured Christmas lights still twinkling over empty front porches. I listened to my special "you're officially a jogger now" playlist, with luscious tracks specifically chosen for their power to infuse ordinary environments with deep significance.

It reminded me of my first ever run, also at dusk, not so long ago (ten weeks ago?), when I jogged endless laps around the local park and watched dog walkers pass in and out of street lamp light. Back then I used to struggle to get from one lamp post to the next - and now it feels so natural, it is threatening to veer towards effortlessness.

Those who know me will know that this progress marks a mega-achievement in the history of my life. I've never undertaken any serious physical activity before, indeed I used to set my entire identity up in opposition to it! And now, ohgod ohgod, now I can jog for thirty minutes! AND YOUR MIND IS BLOWN! This post is pretty much simply to celebrate that achievement.

HERE ARE FIVE GREAT THINGS THAT I'VE DISCOVERED WHILE RUNNING:

1. a lot of people run! When I began I figured I'd probably be hitting that asphalt all on my own, but invariably I run into at least three other joggers everytime I leave the house - and this is on suburban streets, not in any sort of jogging epicentre like Yokine Reserve. There's pleasure in this sense of community - now I'm starting to recognise faces and greet passers-by with a sense of casual familiarity.
2. there are a lot of lovely places near my house! I've spent a lot of my life complaining about how boring my suburb is, but it wasn't until I actually got out into the thick of it that I learned it had a lot to give. On the other side of Benara Rd there is a perfect little picnic spot, enclosed within a ring of bushland so it seems magically isolated. And Lightning Swamp Reserve further North is just a dream - you can look out over the shrubbery and fool yourself into thinking you're far from home. It's all picture-perfect bush and tranquil stream as far as the eyes can see, with the occasional rabbit/kangaroo/snake skirting across the path ahead. Now that's nature!
3. it is possible to think about other things while you jog! Today I planned this entry while I jogged! I guess you are wondering why it is so lame then, and my answer to that would be that I am not yet skilled enough to fully master creativity under the influence of exhaustion. I dream of one day writing brilliant prose in my head while my legs stay busy pounding the pavement.
4. i am a better person when i jog. It's not an old wives' tale - fitness genuinely makes me happier, and easier to live with. Also, it seems to heighten my connection with my body. I feel so much more aware of each movement, even when I'm just leaning down or sitting up. I feel that joyous entanglement of body and mind, that which Caro spoke of way back when. I think I almost feel more alive, in a sense, or at least more conscious of my corporeal existence, of the space that my body inhabits and of how my limbs move through the air.
5. someone in morley owns a full-size tardis! That's right: I kid you not. It sits on their front lawn looking all quirky during the day, and then it glows radiant blue after dark.

In short: jogging is amazing.
I recommend it, and I recommend this programme.

x magda