Jogging

Tonight I went jogging for the second time in my life. The first was last week.

I was, more or less, going to the gym from 2004 until April 2010. Lately the lack of (almost) systematic exercise has started to show but there is simply no time for gym, not even the practice of these six years: twice a week. So, last week I took my iPod and went for a thirty minute jog. Not only did I survive it stroke-free and without a heart-attack, not only did I manage not to destroy or damage my kneecaps, but I also actually enjoyed it. Both times. If you know me, you know how tedious I find any strictly physical exercise, including team sports. However, jogging does have some advantages over all other strictly physical exercise: it is a bit like fast forward flâner. Let me explain:

I have to jog at night, for the obvious weather-related reasons. The first time I had a choice between jogging into the nearby park and turning left and back to the residential areas opposite it. I chose the second option. Dusk was falling, lights were going on, I had the opportunity to get glimpses of the lifes of others, always something I find touching. Against the blue dusk and, alter, the blue-black night I could see the silhouettes of buildings, urban skyline fragments. And all that with the iPod playing non-stop. Except the eighth minute (when everything feels in pain) and the 20th (when you think you are going to drop on the pavement there and then), that is.

So, let’s see whether this catches on.

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