I tried something new over this vacation. No, it wasn't some new SuperFunMegaLand with the kids. It wasn't a new electronic gizmo for making and/or keeping vacation memories.
I went jogging.
I've been exercising regularly for 8 months now as part of my new-and-improved lifestyle. I spent last year losing weight; I am spending this year (and many thereafter, hopefully) keeping it off and molding my body into something less reminiscent of the Stay-Puft Marshmellow Man. So even on vacation I try to fit in a block of honest-to-goodness exercise (as opposed to calling the normal routine of chasing after the kids my exercise).
This past trip, I took an hour+ morning powerwalk each day, covering 4-5 miles of hilly terrain. One thing I've noticed about walking outdoors (as opposed to the treadmill) is that it's an inferior exercise - I don't even break a sweat. I tend to amble rather than power-walk, as a general course, so if I don't force myself to keep up a steady, fast pace, I wind up shuffling along.
This generally defeats the purpose of walking for exercise, as a rule...
So, for the first time since, oh, high school gym class, I ran. It was a slow(ish) jog; I'm certain that people that run regularly would have laughed like tickled hermits at my pathetic pace and poor form. But I was jogging. Me! Who used to scoff at the joggers on the street, sneering all the while. Who used to delight in Dennis Leary's riff on Jim Fixx, the reformed smoker and fatass-turned jogging guru who dropped dead of a massive heart attack while jogging. Who used to quip that "I only run if something's chasing me, and how fast I run depends on how large the thing chasing me is".
And the real kicker? I liked it. In a cruel and bizarre twist of fate, I find that I enjoy running. Now, I could only do it in smaller doses - I noticed my ankles starting to bother me after a mile or so, and there is a history of bad knees in my family - but still... Me. Jogging.
I half-expected to see airborne porcines...
Monday, August 6, 2007
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6 comments:
Cool! I jogged once. I couldn't walk for two days after. My knees can't take it. Not even when I was lighter.
Good for you!
I wish I could jog; since I have four bad discs due to scoliosis, after about fifty yards my sciatic nerves gets pissed off and my left leg goes numb. That doesn't count the excruciating back pains. I found I can walk all day with no problem, but my knee twinges if I try a treadmill. A word of advice: do NOT get old if you can help it, it sucks.
Good for you, kid. Do as much as you can now. As someone once said, " If I knew I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself".
Mike
I had to give it up - I get such bad shin splints it's just not worth it and the ortho guy said there was nothing I could do about it. So I do alternative stuff - tae kwon do for years, tai chi and pilates now. Plus walking.
Start slow on the jogging. Build up your ankles and knees so you don't hurt yourself.
I jog daily. I ran track all through high school (football coach STRONGLY encouraged it) and continued through rowing Varsity crew in college.
The key is... buy good sneakers. You can't go to DSW and spend 30 bucks and be set. Step up, spend 100 bucks or more, and have it. Replace those shoes every 300 miles or so depending on your strike. This will support your ankle, which helps your knee, which helps your hips, etc etc.
It's really all about the shoes. I'll go through 2 pairs of sneakers a year... they look fine, but after the sole is shot, time to retire them.
knit,
I was surprised. I jogged 4 out of 6 days, roughly 1-2 miles of the 5 mile walk each day. Only once did my ankles bother me, and my knees held up just fine.
bobg,
Believe me, it was only after getting the treadmill up to 4.5 MPH for more than a minute or two that I even considered jogging. As I mentioned, there's a family history (on both sides) of bad knees, so I'm very cautious about putting any undue stress on them...
As for getting old, I'll just pass along my dad's comments when he turned 50: Getting old sucks, but it sure beats the alternative...
mike,
Believe me, I've got a lot of that to atone for from my younger days... The beer gut I proudly started in college is still coming off...
teresa,
For the moment, I'm sticking to a fast walk on the treadmill as my daily exercise (with rowing or cycling as the alternate). Jogging will be reserved for the weekends, and only after I get some better footwear (as adam suggests).
adam,
Roger that and then some. Fortunately, between the gout and having a freakishly wide foot, I tend to buy decent footwear anyways. I *have* been meaning to get some dedicated jogging/power walking sneakers, though, and your point is well-taken...
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