The Decision to Run

When did I decide to seriously RUN? I actually cannot remember when... Looking back though I think it all started with....my blood pressure....

My BP has been spiking up since January of this year. Prior to that, I experienced a seizure in October that resulted to my staying in the hospital for almost a week. A number of doctors examined me but found nothing. In the end, they said it must be stress-related. Oh well. So I went about doing my stuff.. home -- office -- home -- office. Mind you that I've been religiously going to the gym for almost six months doing cardio and weight training before that seizure happened. It wasn't my first by the way..

On my birthday I renewed my license (haha.. what a way to spend your birthday right?) In any case, there I was in the LTO waiting for the doctor to call my name and do the routinary BP, eye check-up etc... and lo and behold my BP was over 90... that's high for me.. My BP ranges from 60 - 70... I figured... he must be a Quacky Doc you know. If he's good, he won't be in the LTO right? Or his equipment must be old already therefore the BP it registers is not accurate... But, I have to admit it scared me... A week after that I was doing my groceries and I felt very dizzy and sleepy.. So, I was near a Healthway Clinic and decided to have my BP checked.. It was over 100!!!! Whatta Whatta!!!!

I'm not into medicines anymore. I am a firm believer now that anything foreign that you put in your body will have some form of side effect. Then I decided, maybe I should increase my running regimen in the gym to bring my BP down... Of course I need to go and have myself checked but I've been through that last October and well I just don't want to go through it again for the meantime.

So I started increasing my treadmill time.. During one of my gym days I chanced upon this ad of Pia Cayetano for Pinay in Action.. I go, it looks fun. Won't do me harm in trying. I registered for the 5k. And boy, I got hooked ever since. It was fun fun fun.. I finished the 5k in 37 minutes. My first outdoor run.

The route was ok.. It wasn't hilly.. Plain flat route... There were so many participants at the start of the race but then after awhile, the participants started to dwindle. I felt like a runner with water stations, runners everywhere, starting line etc etc. There came a point that it started to get really hot (or maybe my BP was going up) that I had to pour water all over myself.. Haha.. feeling runner! grabe! I also had the sensibility to bring sunglasses.. Buti na lang.. the sun shone brightly at some point along the route. I went home very happy... So the story of how I got hooked.

The day after, I had a client call in Laguna. That plant required you to take off your shoes and wear slippers while inside the plant. Since I always do that, I did so without apprehension.. The intended 1 hour call turned to 3 hours. I felt my legs were starting to swell! I felt uneasy because I was worried my shoes won't fit. Of course it didn't!!! I can't show that to the client so I forced my feet to fit in my high heel shoes. C**p!! That was really fun. I decided then to read more about running, what to do, stretching exercises needed before a run.. :)

My goal is to join the Condura run next year at 21K... This blog is meant for me to keep track of my progress as a Neophyte Runner while being a banker... And maybe influence my colleagues to start running as well. It's cheap, fun and a very good exercise. By the way, my BP is now pretty stable.. I hope it continues...