When someone just started an activity or picked up a new hobby, and is now talking about it like they are an expert, giving out unsolicited advice — it’s so… lame, for lack of a better word. And yet here I am, with my freshly found running, writing about it. This is no advice, really — I hardly even have advice for myself at this point, other than, take it easy and keep running. The idea that I started something that I never thought I could, and it makes me feel great — it still is quite incredible. Maybe I need to see it in writing, to believe.

I dipped my toes in running last year, and it didn’t take. I enjoyed it a little, but also couldn’t run much. My consistent effort came about four months ago. In the February, I had five runs, for a total of 13 kilometers. My starting distance was a bit over two kilometers per run. March wasn’t better — four runs and ten kilometers total. Two months ago, in April, things started to pick up. I covered 30 kilometers, and in May, 45 kilometers. May also saw me run a 5k for the first time — completely unexpected. Now, my average, my “normal” run is about 30 minutes. Not always. Today, for example, I did a 25 minute run, and sometimes I run for 20 minutes. Depends on how much time I have and how sleepy I am in the morning. I can run every other day, and then not run for a week. In other words, it’s not like I’m training for anything, or getting a consistent effort. Yet, on a monthly scale, I’m getting what I want.

“Results” is not the best word to define this. Results are very much linked to goals. When there’s no goal other than enjoyment, it’s better to talk about “effects” rather than “results”. Effects that I felt from running so far are:

• Increased energy levels. I’m less sluggish, and on most days, don’t tend to get sleepy after lunch.
• Fun getting moving. I really enjoy the simplicity of it — repeated motions, getting the body moving, breathing, flying for those milliseconds when feet don’t touch the ground. The ease of starting a run. You put on your clothes, and shoes, and you use some sunscreen, and you go out. Everything else is optional.
• (There’s definitely more than simplicity in the choice of running attire. It was also fun for a while: figuring out what shoes to buy, and getting amazed at the level of technological advancement that sports fabrics illustrate.)
• The sweet feeling of being able to do something that until now has been a closed door. The sense of wonder and possibility.
• I haven’t dropped any weight. But my form is changing, and I like it. Toned body just… feels great.
• My nighttime heart rate is down, and my heart rate variability is on the upward trend. I guess, in many ways, my body thanks me.
• Since I started running, I think I’ve become calmer, less reactive to the little everyday annoyances.
• Another thing I run for is this feeling after a run — a mix of tired and energized. Taking a shower post-run is very different from just taking a shower.

I’m very far from the thought of running a marathon, or anything like that. There’s also no desire to always raise the bar. I am looking forward to uncovering all the lessons that running can teach me, that’s all. It’s a new side of life that I quote enjoy. And it made me pick up Haruki Murakami’s brilliant “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running.” I love it not for the running part, but for the brilliance of observation and thought. Now, also for running.

Getting yourself introduced to something not experienced before, starting something from square one, doesn’t make you a different person. Yet, it has a capacity of showing you that maybe you don’t know everything about yourself. Maybe the way you are used to thinking about yourself is not all there is to you, and to your life. With running, there’s always a new starting line to cross, and it’s always a little bit of dive into the unknown, that is exciting.