Thursday, March 17, 2016

I still miss it


I started running seriously in my late 20's, I finished my first race on my 30'th birthday, a sprint series triathlon at Sea World in Orlando.  Running became an addiction, if I missed more than a couple of days, I missed it.  I liked the feeling of moving, the peace (this was before I-pods and MP3 players, I ran with the thoughts in my mind, the music in my soul.) I loved the feeling 4-5 minutes into each run when my lungs cleared and a feeling of well being settled in. When I finished I would be exhausted and rested.  It is hard to explain how you can be both at the same time - it is a runners thing.

I was never going to finish first, I never had the biomechanics to be a runner, but over time I improved.  I moved from merely finishing to being solidly in the top 1/3rd in my age class.  I dropped a lot of weight, I was also obsessive about my diet, to the point that I could be unpleasant to go out to dinner with (sorry!)

I eventually stopped, the demands of moving, living a new place with a lack of friendly places to run, wet and winter weather, work and graduate school broke the habit the obsession.   But I still miss the feeling.  A couple of year's ago my oldest brother quit smoking.  He remarked at Thanksgiving that the smell brought on cravings - my father spoke up, he had quit smoking before I was born and said, "hell, after 55 years the smell still brought on cravings."  I know how they feel, I still miss running.

3 comments:

  1. gotta work up to that level; walk, bike, swim, treadmill.

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  2. Is a treadmill and option? I know it's not the same, but its something.I put on a music or a favorite series on the ipad and do a 30 minute run as many days during the week as time and schedule allows. It always surprises people that I like to run on the treadmill. I am also not a runner by nature, and my body, overweight, out of shape and a bit broken in spots, certainly isn't the ideal tool, and it sure does kick my ass, but nothing fills me with a profound sense of feeling I've done something good, and achieved something, like running for 30 minutes/2 miles each day. It's like my stubborn refusal to accept that I can't run celebrates that I do it anyway. :-)

    Sassybear
    www.idleeyesandadormy.com

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  3. I would hope you would find someway.

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