keep moving!

JM and Verchie are currently involved in a “running” program, and according to their blogs, seem to be benefiting from it. I’ve been planning to get back into shape once my stint here in Karachi is over, and my one-month stay here is a perfect fit for the running regiment I got from JM.

I figured this month could be a staging period for when I get back home and do some real fitness workouts. Besides, it beats doing nothing and literally being a couch potato. So I gave it a shot last Friday.

I accompanied the cook to the gate, who was leaving for home after serving me a great dinner, deciding to run in the compound’s cricket field. En route, we were followed by one of the guards so I wondered what his reaction would be when I started running off. In any case, I set my timer to 15 minutes and began my run.

It turned out that my guard was a wuss… hehehe, just kidding.

I started out pretty well. 15 minutes? No problem! After a while I started sweating and feeling the burn, then I saw my timer and I was just 5 minutes into my run! I started thinking that I may not last the distance, but I set the though aside and kept running. My pace started to slow down a bit, partly a tactical decision and due to fatigue. Halfway through, I kept a monotonous thought of just doing it. Just keep on running.

5 minutes left and I was getting really tired. I even starting thinking if I would make it back home. Now, I don’t know if it was the fatigue or the sandy surface I was running on or the fact that I was in Pakistan (which is near Iran AND Afghanistan for those who don’t know) when the soldier in me kicked in.

I imagined that I had to keep going, as a part of life or death. Stop and the enemies get you… mission over. Failure was not an option at this point. So I didn’t and I finished my 15 minute run without stopping or walking. 4 more weeks….