Sunday, December 9, 2007

running, walking and being out of shape!

Yesterday, I went out and brought sneakers. NOT just any sneakers mind you....real ones. Running shoes, for GODS sake! I am so out of shape, it's sickening. Anyway, my daughter, the princess in waiting, convinced me that if I am to start a fitness program (and I am) I needed real shoes. So we went to this shop in Texas, one that specializes in runners and runners gear. They let you run around the block in the shoes and they let you bring them back after 30 days if they are not what you need. Now, friends, this should have told me something (read into this obnoxious amounts of cash) but alas, I wear crocs and flip flops. I know nothing about real shoes.
So I have the shoes...we venture out to the park this morning to break them in. This is where I like the story...and I am winded at the half mile mark. We go to Tom Bass park (which has a 1.1 mile walkers trail around the pond) and I tell my lovely daughter (the semi-runner with the long legs who is in training to run a 10k) that I need her to slow down, LOL. I'm short, old and outta shape...what was she thinking? How the hell did she expect me to keep up.
I do my 1.1 mile and the last half is up hill (these people who design these parks have a VERY sick sense of humor) and by now I am half dead and ewwwww......sweating. After all, it's like 80 here in TX in Dec...who feels like Christmas?
I decide to let my daughter run on and I will stop here...after all...this is a good start...but then I decide to walk around in the opposite direction slowly and just cool off. THAT was a brilliant idea because I got to see all the other walkers...and wow...I went another mile!!! Yep...I started to look forward to "running" into people and cheering them on an saying "how are ya?" and "good morning!!" and "You go girl" and I just kept going round the park. It was great. People were smiling and laughing and talking to me, one group I ran into again and I slumped over and started to pant and they bout cracked up....point is, had I not gone the wrong direction on the trail (the other way, no one was lapping me) I would not have had any interaction with anyone...AND I would have stopped at mile one. Two miles today...round the world tomorrow!!
Point is, sometimes it pays to go in the wrong direction.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

It has always seemed to me that you like to take the different route. Makes for a more interesting journey.
Moonlight.

Lunar Chick said...

I love that last line...

Tried going to the gym myself and really enjoyed it until I realised there was something wrong. There's a beautiful trainer there who does his stretches in the morning on the floor space near the treadmill I usually pick, and nearly every time I see him I get so distracted I almost trip up on the treadmill. Or worse, I nearly kill myself when I see him walk by and feel my heart pace quicken ever so slightly.

I really should go back, but I think I'll give it time before I think about trying to kill myself on the treadmill.

Silverback said...

OK where are you......lost in the Middle East ?

We needs posts.