The World Is My Gym.

So I was remembering  ( Yes I do it a lot) about a 5k I did a few years ago. I felt sorry for the people putting on the race because only thirty or so showed up. Anyway, I was sitting on a wall afterwards drinking some water when I was pulled into a discussion (I think he pulled me in because we looked to be the same size and frame). The man was in his late fifties and he was telling some women how he stayed in shape. He started with the usual-no processed food, plenty of water....But then he tells them "Why pay for gym membership? The world is my gym!". He goes into showing us all the different exercises he could do right there. He used the curb, the wall, or nothing at all. It really was amazing.

Good thing for me I have someone (my best friend) who is nice enough ( and a a lot smarted than me about this )  to give me workouts so I don't have to figure out what to do. All I need is space and some hand weights. And afterwards I'm wiped! Just trying to type right now is a struggle.

Now if you like the gym that's cool. But there are plenty of ways to get into shape and stay in shape without the cost. Let the world be your gym! We can't run all the time-or can we?

More to come....

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow......

Unless you live where I live! Because with snow we get ice. Ice everywhere- on the roads,on the sidewalks, everywhere. So for almost a week I'm trapped inside going crazy. Good things for my workouts my best friend gave me. Sure they kill you but in a good way. Still nothing like a good run. To rub it in I see people running on my first attempt to the store. I should have been out there but ice and me have a hard time seeing it's out to get me. See me running when there is ice and break out the video camera and wait. I'm guaranteed to bust something and give everybody a good laugh.

Luckily after a week stuck in the house the snow and ice has all but melted away and I'm free. Sure it was rough at first but it still felt sooooo good. Road, trails, paths- it all good! Just out enjoying the view.

More to come.....

What Are You Gonna Do?

I had a bad night the other night. Just when I think things are going good I find out there not. It's all just an illusion . This is my life at the moment. So what are you gonna do? For me its means no sleep and thinking about what's next. So about five in the morning I thought a run was in order. I've known plenty of people through the years who use running to wash the problems of the day away but what about life. For me it can be my escape. If I can clear my mind the world seems right-the world is right.

So I go for a run. Good thing my car is well stocked and I have a place to get lost. The music begins , the time starts and I'm ready to go. First lap 5 miles-still in my head. Second lap 3 miles- still there! Another 5, another 2, 5 more ( 2 bottles and a sandwich) and finally 2 miles and three hours and  I had to stop. Back to life.

The illusion is still there so I guess I keep on running.

More to come....

Blank Slate.

For many of us the new year is about setting up race schedules and these become our goals. For many people the new year is about a new beginning.

I went to get some new shoes yesterday. On Dec 31 of all days! The store was packed and I got a good chuckle out of all the people there in the store. I learned from one of the guys that most of the people that had been in that day were doing the usual new year "I'm going to get back into shape." shopping.

Now four years ago this was me so I applaud these people and hope they not only reach but bust those goals in half!

If I have one thing to offer let it be this. Go into it like you have never run before. Think of it as a blank slate.

I ran from my teens to almost thirty. I ran A LOT! I ran thousands of miles and  raced at any distance I could get to. I ran over a hundred miles a week for eight weeks to just do it.

So when I started back after over ten years off I thought I could just jump right back into it. This is a quick way to get depressed and the quickest way back to the couch. Which is almost what I did until I figured something out.

Everything in life has an expiration date. You cannot let what happened years ago control you today. Think of it as going into the fridge and getting out some milk. You take a drink and it has a taste so sour you throw up. Now do you put that milk back into the fridge? Do you pull it out the next day and do the same thing again?
That is what I did over and over again. I would go out on a run and sure enough I would think about the "old days".  And it would bum me out comparing yesterday me to today me!

Finally I realized. I just need to start over from scratch. I set my sights on twenty minutes . Then 3 miles, 4 miles, 1 hour.....and boom I became a runner. Not a runner again but a new runner. I was able to enjoy all the  milestones because they were new.

I think this works not only in running but in life. Live today.

More to come.....