Have I caught the running bug?

People always say there's a running bug, once you've started out you won't want to stop. I'm wondering whether I've caught the bug or not considering some of the ludicrous effort and pain I'm going through, most of the time just to get to work.

I've never been a natural runner, I have stumpish short legs and broad shoulders. Never been wirey and never had the discipline to train for the sake of training. Does that mean I'm immune to this bug that people talk about? It's true that when I started 'running' (the snobbish definition of which aggrandizes as my distances increase), I seriously struggled to push myself further than 2 miles or so. Now I can run at least four times that length - I would say comfortably, but in truth any run over 5 miles is uncomfortable. It makes me think the sense of achievement is what fuels people. Essentially, there is nowhere to hide when running, nobody to beat but yourself. You quit, and you quit on yourself, you complete and you're left breathless at the finish with only yourself to thank - fulfillments desolate attic.

This is no sport for those in search of celebrity or admiration, there is no crowd, no applause.

I'd never been a believer in those who say that post-gym feeling is better than any artificial drug. I always used to find going to the gym so dull, and those who are obsessed with working out, a bit odd. I still do to be honest. However, the feeling of being totally exhausted and recovering is amazing. The sensation of my legs aching all day is bitter sweet (chaffed nipples are just bitter). I love it.

The ultimate test will be whether I continue my running after the Great North Run in September, which will be my first half marathon. I'm already eyeing the Bath Half in March as my next, which answers that question. Perhaps it's a sense of losing something gained, as in health and fitness. I just have to weigh up if the stinging nipples, blistered feet and aching knees are worth it, although I think they probably are.