First jog

Just went for my first jog in Japan... :p

Before coming to Japan, I used to jog at least twice a week at the park near my house in AMK, Singapore.. I would normally run for an hour, doing between 5 to 7km... I even did the Standard Chartered Marathon 10km run two years in a roll (2005 and 2006).. But after arriving in Japan, I stopped.. either I was too lazy or too self-conscious (don't really see that many joggers around in Japan).. and I was not going to buy different sets of running attire to suit the season of the year.. In Singapore, it was so convenient.. just a pair of shorts, t'shirt and jogging shoes, and I am ready to hit the road... Here, I need to make sure that I am warm enough to jog but not too warm to be perspiring even before I start my jog.. So very troublesome... :x

So why start now? Well, for one thing, I am trying to lose that 4kg that I gained while holidaying in Malaysia last Feb.. :p Still have about 3kg to go.. Also, I wanna be ready for the year-end Standard Chartered Marathon in Singapore, since the chances of me going back to Singapore after my graduation this Sept is very very high.. :) :) It is good to have a goal or target to work towards, gives me the motivation to persevere..

Had wanted to start early, but with my bed time being 2am for the past few months, it was quite difficult to change that overnight.. so I set my alarm at 7.30am instead.. which was already 2 hours earlier than my usual wake-up time... Wore 2 layers of t'shirts with a wind-breaker on top.. Did some quick warm-up in my room before going out..

I jogged along the river, Kanda River (神田川), I think.. Plenty of sakura trees along the path, already blooming.. The scenery was very beautiful.. Saw a few fellow joggers too.. And a few old folks were walking their dogs.. It was very tranquil.. actually, I can't really hear anything as I had my mp3 player blasting away.. :p

At first, it was no fun.. the cold wind on my face and my body... my fingers were beginning to feel numb.. luckily my legs weren't.. but I just kept jogging.. Slowly, my body began to warm up and I even perspired a bit.. Jogged all the way to Takadobashi (高戸橋) and would have jogged further if not for the construction works that blocked the pathway.. On my way back, I walked up the staircases at the Edogawa Park to let my calves do some more work.. :p then I did some stretching and warm down before walking back home... Had managed to jog non-stop for more than 20 minutes before stopping and walking.. I had covered less than 3km which was quite pathetic if compared to what I was able to do not too long ago.. all in all, I did almost 4km today... This was but a small beginning.. didn't want to overexert myself in this first jog.. :p

Plan to jog at least twice a week.. and maybe more once I get in the groove.. :) Especially since I no longer need to go to school everyday for this coming semester.. I should have time for this.. :) ;) :)