Oh my G*d I suddenly find myself on team running

I found running quite stupid. Well, not necessarily stupid, everyone should do what they want, but it wasn't for me. Time-consuming, silly aerodynamic suits, and before you knew it, you were a Paul Rosenmöller or a Dolf Jansen with an 11% body fat. Believe me: I love to wave goodbye with my little hand to a percentage of fat, but being too dry doesn't necessarily make you prettier.

Since corona, my gym has been closed and even my favorite personal trainer who showed me all corners of the studio twice a week has also taken a break, so I had to do something with my body and energy. So when friend L said she really wanted to run but could only do it with a buddy, I knew when to jump in.

Meanwhile, this is week 4 in which we run together at least four times a week. And then she occasionally goes with another friend and I sometimes go with my love or enjoy running alone in the company of Will Smith, Arrested Development, or Pink via my AirPods. By the way, Will Smith wins; his album Big Willie Style is truly the best running album imaginable, I tell you.

Suddenly I have real running shoes (a wonderful gift from my beloved, Nike Vaporflys) and a handy waist bag from Deblon Sports where I keep my step counter formerly known as phone. Just as I sometimes marvel at how incredibly quickly your fitness declines when you don't exercise for two weeks, I must honestly say I'm also amazed at how quickly you make progress. We're going for twelve kilometers tomorrow and I'm really looking forward to it.

Stronger, I haven't told my friend this yet, so keep it to yourself: I suddenly had a cautious fantasy about a half marathon in Paris. We could do it, I just know it.

I really hope the Thalys is running again and that we can have a drink at Café de Flore afterwards...