The Perils Of Running

Yes, apart from the obvious health benefit of being fit, there are side effects one can get from running. For me that would be :

 

Having two toned skin. You read it right. Not a too toned body, but I'm now sporting a darker set of arms (and neck and face too) than the other parts of my body. 

Oh! The pigmentation! With the hot sunny days ahead and the sun coming up scorching us as early as 7.00am, I'll just get darker and darker.

Willingness to go out for a run at extremely odd hours. Good thing I live in an apartment, and with the guards stationed strategically, I feel safe making a late night run around my apartment. Yeah, sometimes I'd do an 11.00pm run! No, I don't do this out of the gate of my apartment so late at night. That's just crazy! o.O

I wouldn't dream of waking up at 4.00 or 5.00am on weekends before, but that's what I do come Saturday and Sunday now! Waking up so early just so I can enjoy a cool, breezy and sloooooow run early in the morning.  (Then, get totally roasted by the sun at 7.30am! @.@)

Then, it's the depleting bank balance and cash in wallet. I seem to never tire of buying stuff at the sports store nowadays. Recent purchase include a handheld water bottle last Sunday and two days, ago, a new pair of running pants.

Hubby opined that the amount that I've spent on running gears these past few months can actually buy me a good mountain bike already and he's totally right! Who says running is a cheap sport? Well, it's cheap if you are not obsessing about the latest gear and whatnot. What's wrong with running and holding a Gatorade bottle that I had to buy that RM45 Nike bottle? Nothing, actually. Or a RM69 pair of Thorlo sock instead of a much cheaper RM8 sock? I convinced myself that it's for the good of my feet. ^^

There's another side-effect that is now seriously causing a dent in my pocket. Shrinking waistline. With all my pants becoming loose, I need to overhaul my wardrobe soon! 

With all these obsessing over stuff, do I run fast? Or that far? Well, I'm still a slow poke.  And I'm still a long way from doing a half marathon. But I like to flatter myself that I'm a slow poke that look good! Hahaha Yeah, you can go and puke now. (^o^)

But seriously, I have to consider my safety while out running as I don't have the luxury of running in a park everyday. For one, it's the traffic. Always, always be aware of traffic from behind and in front.

Another thing I had to deal with - dogs. OK, so I'm terrified of big dogs. It's because it's ingrained in my DNA to avoid dogs, I guess. And the dogs being let loose in my neighborhood are not cute ones like Nick's dog Pebbles. Some of them are quite territorial too; in public spaces! There is this one dog that will chase anything that move, people, cars, bikes.... @.@

So far I don't have problems with strays as strays tend to stay away from being too near humans. It's just those pet dogs that were let loose outside that I have to be careful of. :(