After Fajr prayer today, I went out to run from Maadi to Muqattam before heading to work.
About halfway through, I felt a strain in my calf muscle, the one at the back of my leg. I stopped for a couple of seconds, grabbed my leg, and thought, should I turn back? But I decided to keep going at a calmer pace — not to prove anything to anyone, just because I wasn't going to let this distance break me while I'm still at the very start of the road.
I finished it. Not at my best pace, and not without pain, but I finished it.
Honestly, the distance itself wasn't the only win today. The win was that I actually went out after Fajr in the first place, while the world was still quiet and the street still empty, and I chose to test myself at a time it would've been so much easier to just be asleep. The honor of trying is enough for me, even if my leg isn't fully on board.
I know there are people running full marathons along the Nile, people crossing deserts, people who turn Cairo's streets into a group running track every week. I'm still far from all of that, but every morning like today gets me one step closer.
I'll rest a bit, and be back soon.
#Running #Maadi #Muqattam #BackToRunning