day 14 - run around lisbon and thoughts on these 2 weeks

Yesterday I went to Decathlon and bought some stuff. Today I used 2 - compression socks and gel. The afternoon was very hot for May. I went to meet Pedro is his house in Penha de França around 18h and we talked for almost an hour, waiting on the heat to dissipate to no avail. And so we started, with around 30ºC (in direct sunlight, something intermittent in the route we chose, thank god!). We ran down to meet the river, then turned right until we reached Terreiro do Paço, then up Rossio, Av. da Liberdade, Av. Fontes Pereira de Melo, then turned to Praça do Chile and back up to return to Penha de França. We had already run a similar course 1.5 years ago. :) So we managed to start with casual chatting and we kept a steady pace. I felt very good. No knee problems at all. Felt my body responding well, to the point I ended the run in a good strong mood. Used the socks which seem to have helped, used a gel at about 3/5 of the run and drank a bit of water near Saldanha.

So I’m about 2 weeks into this new healthy, sporty mode. I am positively surprised with how it’s been going. I sort of knew this would not entail only eating differently and/or increasing the training. I’ve been more aware of my own rhythm, trying to improve my way of life, what I eat, drink, sleep and come up with a feasible routine in terms of time, know how and physical effort.
The diet per se has been a discovery of what I know how to prepare with a more constrained/controlled set of nutrients, both with the meals I prepare for myself and when I eat outside - finding dishes to eat on places I used to attend or even trying out new places. Same goes for foods - I chose to drink less coffee and mostly water, ditched a big part of the sides like potatoes, rice or pasta (not entirely, as my training requires intake of these) and since I’m enjoying salads and nuts, experimenting with the introduction of nuts, quinoa and chia to create more complete dishes myself. Today I bought a wok and came up with a pretty decent meal after the run.
In terms of training I’ve been slightly cautious with the intensity, trying out varied exercises. If my knee comes back worrying me I may book a sports medicine appointment. Will try to do other activities such as core exercises in the days I don’t run (either to rest or for lack of time). May put my bike to work on rest days too, maybe.
Overall it’s been good. I feel better, a bit lighter and my rhythm is more steady. Haven’t seen any decay in work or other activity. The journey proceeds…