Running On Empty
A rare opportunity came to me at work today: a chance to try out the Nike iPod Sport Kit. If you haven't seen it in stores yet, well, it consists of two small parts: a little gadget that you put in your sneaker (ideally, a Nike+ compatible shoe, which has a hole in the heel you stick the gadget in) and a dongle you plug into your iPod Nano. The gadget and the dongle connect to each other (wirelessly!) and let you display on your iPod how far you've run and how long it took you to get there.
If it sounds seriously cool, it is - and to be honest, I've been thinking about getting into running. Serious running. I've gained quite a few pounds over the last six or seven years, and while I can't call myself fat, I've gotten rather soft around the midsection. And I'd rather not talk about how large my ass has gotten.
So with Fall Out Boy blaring in my ears, I set forth on a good twenty minute run around the village.
Half a block later (three minutes... Fall Out Boy wasn't even done) I had to stop - I was out of breath. And my legs hurt. And the gadget in my shoe was really uncomfortable.
I spent the rest of my "run" walking home.
I can't begin to describe how disappointed I am. I used to be a skinny kid, which turned me off sports. Running was the only athletic thing I was good at - and in college, I spent some time with the track and field team, eventually running the four hundred meter dash in under a minute in the UAAP Games.
And now, apparently, I suck at running.
What irritates me even more is that I've been thinking of getting into Parkour - which is really physically demanding. I hadn't realized that I was this out of shape - I mean, sure, I can't do as many sit-ups now, but I know plenty of guys in worse shape.
I'm at a crossroads.
I can get off my lazy ass and go running, tone up some and get into Parkour. God knows when I'll find the time, but then time's always been a problem.
I can continue to sleep late, wake up late and go drinky drinky every week, with lots of ass to chair sessions in front of the computer. After all, Computers aren't just my job, they're my lifestyle.
Or I can middle-ground it: squeeze in some running, forget Parkour, and try to balance out my life. (Except I'm really, really interested in Parkour. I even put it into my 43 things.)
I haven't decided what to do yet.
But halfway down the block, my breath coming in horrid large gulps, my legs burning and my feet aching, the words of Rilke came to mind:
'for here there is no place
that does not see you. You must change your life.'
And I can't stop thinking about it.
If it sounds seriously cool, it is - and to be honest, I've been thinking about getting into running. Serious running. I've gained quite a few pounds over the last six or seven years, and while I can't call myself fat, I've gotten rather soft around the midsection. And I'd rather not talk about how large my ass has gotten.
So with Fall Out Boy blaring in my ears, I set forth on a good twenty minute run around the village.
Half a block later (three minutes... Fall Out Boy wasn't even done) I had to stop - I was out of breath. And my legs hurt. And the gadget in my shoe was really uncomfortable.
I spent the rest of my "run" walking home.
I can't begin to describe how disappointed I am. I used to be a skinny kid, which turned me off sports. Running was the only athletic thing I was good at - and in college, I spent some time with the track and field team, eventually running the four hundred meter dash in under a minute in the UAAP Games.
And now, apparently, I suck at running.
What irritates me even more is that I've been thinking of getting into Parkour - which is really physically demanding. I hadn't realized that I was this out of shape - I mean, sure, I can't do as many sit-ups now, but I know plenty of guys in worse shape.
I'm at a crossroads.
I can get off my lazy ass and go running, tone up some and get into Parkour. God knows when I'll find the time, but then time's always been a problem.
I can continue to sleep late, wake up late and go drinky drinky every week, with lots of ass to chair sessions in front of the computer. After all, Computers aren't just my job, they're my lifestyle.
Or I can middle-ground it: squeeze in some running, forget Parkour, and try to balance out my life. (Except I'm really, really interested in Parkour. I even put it into my 43 things.)
I haven't decided what to do yet.
But halfway down the block, my breath coming in horrid large gulps, my legs burning and my feet aching, the words of Rilke came to mind:
'for here there is no place
that does not see you. You must change your life.'
And I can't stop thinking about it.