Running as self-medication

It goes like this. Inactivity feels good for a day or so. Then you start feeling tense. Pretty soon you are constantly stretching or shifting or adjusting yourself trying to loosen up and relax. Running makes that go away. Tired muscles feel good. In order to accommodate an aging dog, I've been doing shorter, lower intensity runs. These aren't overly taxing on either of us, so it occurred to me to increase the frequency. It turns out even a 20 minute run has persistent benefits. Turns out some of those benefits are mental. This comes as no surprise to many. Now we just have to figure out a routine with a few different trail routes in the mix to keep things from getting boring.

Can run slow now. This is an improvement. Srsly.

Used to be if I tried to stay below the aerobic threshold, steep hills meant having to walk. Now I can actually jog up hills (slowly) and keep a relatively low heart rate. Presumably this means I can build more aerobic base now. The dog likes it. He can sniff around more and still keep up.