Just back from my first run for a week, and it wasn’t too bad. No ankle pain at all in my cloud-like running shoes.
No alternative of playing tennis because I’m up here by myself again, apart from the dogs. I took Maggie with me this time, she still appears eager to join me, or perhaps she’s just a very slow learner. Max, in contrast, has learnt to make herself scarce, which suits me fine. She recognises the signs which mean she’s about to get locked in her crate for 20 minutes while Maggie and I head off. I always give her a treat when I do this so I’m a little surprised, but clearly she values her freedom over having something to chew on.
I can’t honestly say I enjoy running, but it’s not torture, and at least it provides exercise for both me and the dog in an efficient way. The addition of music really helps, too, so I’m glad I persisted in finding EarPods that don’t fall out. Yes, there was a technical glitch that made my phone inexplicably unable to pair with the EarPods for ten frustrating minutes before I set out, necessitating a couple of “turn it off and on again” manoeuvres, but that’s just a reality of the modern world.
A highlight was when a handsome, shirtless, muscle bound young man gave me a nod in fellowship as he ran past me in the other direction. Was his sweat glistening in the sun? Really, I hardly noticed. I guess that makes me a runner now, anyway.