I think I get it now.
I think I know where that elusive Runner's High comes from.
erm, lemme backtrack a little
Pennsic was pathetic for me, physically speaking.
I never made it down the hill any further than Midrealm & West Royal camps... oh yeah, and EK Royal.
I fenced in the Rapier Field Battle, and that was it. Now, part of that was because at said Field battle I took a hard and questionably legal shot to my left kidney that actually hurt enough to affect my walking the rest of the afternoon (and part of the following night when someone unwittingly poked me in the exact same spot. I literally crumpled when he hit me, the shock was that bad).
But, this was my worst Pennsic for physical conditioning; I wasn't even this bad the Pennsic after my surgery. I used to walk around the lake almost every night, not just to find parties; but just because that was part of the Pennsic Mystique. Of course, the fact that most of the lake area was reportedly Quagmire heavily influenced my decision to stay topside... but still.
Chris and I were talking the Sat after Pennsic (I crashed at his place Fri nite) and we're both disappointed with what we've become. We made a deal to run in the Buffalo Turkey Trot on 11/26. I'm going to try the Couch Potato to 5K Plan and see if I can make the race. However, seeing as the Turkey Trot is an 8K race, that may be biting off a little more than I can chew.
But, starting last week I've been making a concerted effort to walk; if not at work around the neighborhood. 3 days last week, plus a lunchtime stroll... and I walked tonight. So, here's some observations:
1. I want to walk. I find myself making sure I have time to walk. Saturday evening I was feeling drowsy at 7pm and instead of crashing on the sofa to watch a DVD I put on my running shoes and walked (I am walking in them because I'm getting my feet acclimated to them again... was having some after-wearing pain last week but its geting better), and then I got home and was revitalized and aching to do something :P
2. I was in a knock down crappy mood today... lots of little things, a lot of it not getting sleep last night because it was hot (and i ended up with 4 mosquito bites... including 2 on my right butt-cheek, WTF??!). It was hot, I was feeling like crap and useless and unwanted and all that depression double-decker crap. So at 7 I said "I'm going for a walk!" little bag with ID, Insurance Card, cell & $5 bill; iPod, sunglasses, and a bottle of water... and I was off... truckin' around the neighborhood to Rachmaninoff. By the time I got home I'd drained the water bottle, decided on some valid, attainable, and reasonable goals for May 2010, and overall felt %110 better. My mood was uplifted by the walk... improved by the physical Activity. And that's when it hit...
This is where it starts. The desire to work out, the desire to take out the stress on physical activity, this is what lays the foundation for the near addiction to working out. Right here. This feeling, this result, this kind of experience. I'm already thinking "I'll take sneaks and t-shirt and shorts and walk during lunch... i'll sneak out for a walk when things start getting to me like the Kid goes for a smoke!" I started thinking that maybe that will be my game... everytime he goes out on a smoke break I'll go for a stair-climb break! Besides which, sitting too long is starting to bother my knees and my feet. And, most importantly... they aren't empty words; this is what I FEEL, not what I think. This is what I want.
3. My knee probably won't let me run the Turkey Trot. Then again, I have 3 months/12 weeks... the Plan is for 8/9 weeks... if I keep walking with intention the next couple of weeks and start the strengthening exercises I may be able to do it. Right now, even running across the street to avoid traffic is awkward; and that bothers the hell out of me. I need to clean the living room tomorrow so that I can dig out my weight bench and weights. I'm going to hold on the gym until it starts getting brisk out... I want more outside exposure, as odd as it sounds I kinda need it. I want more sun, I want more breeze and clouds and whispering trees and critters and cicadas. I don't want to lock myself up in a gym just yet.
and now... more water!! and meeting minutes... and bed!
erm, lemme backtrack a little
Pennsic was pathetic for me, physically speaking.
I never made it down the hill any further than Midrealm & West Royal camps... oh yeah, and EK Royal.
I fenced in the Rapier Field Battle, and that was it. Now, part of that was because at said Field battle I took a hard and questionably legal shot to my left kidney that actually hurt enough to affect my walking the rest of the afternoon (and part of the following night when someone unwittingly poked me in the exact same spot. I literally crumpled when he hit me, the shock was that bad).
But, this was my worst Pennsic for physical conditioning; I wasn't even this bad the Pennsic after my surgery. I used to walk around the lake almost every night, not just to find parties; but just because that was part of the Pennsic Mystique. Of course, the fact that most of the lake area was reportedly Quagmire heavily influenced my decision to stay topside... but still.
Chris and I were talking the Sat after Pennsic (I crashed at his place Fri nite) and we're both disappointed with what we've become. We made a deal to run in the Buffalo Turkey Trot on 11/26. I'm going to try the Couch Potato to 5K Plan and see if I can make the race. However, seeing as the Turkey Trot is an 8K race, that may be biting off a little more than I can chew.
But, starting last week I've been making a concerted effort to walk; if not at work around the neighborhood. 3 days last week, plus a lunchtime stroll... and I walked tonight. So, here's some observations:
1. I want to walk. I find myself making sure I have time to walk. Saturday evening I was feeling drowsy at 7pm and instead of crashing on the sofa to watch a DVD I put on my running shoes and walked (I am walking in them because I'm getting my feet acclimated to them again... was having some after-wearing pain last week but its geting better), and then I got home and was revitalized and aching to do something :P
2. I was in a knock down crappy mood today... lots of little things, a lot of it not getting sleep last night because it was hot (and i ended up with 4 mosquito bites... including 2 on my right butt-cheek, WTF??!). It was hot, I was feeling like crap and useless and unwanted and all that depression double-decker crap. So at 7 I said "I'm going for a walk!" little bag with ID, Insurance Card, cell & $5 bill; iPod, sunglasses, and a bottle of water... and I was off... truckin' around the neighborhood to Rachmaninoff. By the time I got home I'd drained the water bottle, decided on some valid, attainable, and reasonable goals for May 2010, and overall felt %110 better. My mood was uplifted by the walk... improved by the physical Activity. And that's when it hit...
This is where it starts. The desire to work out, the desire to take out the stress on physical activity, this is what lays the foundation for the near addiction to working out. Right here. This feeling, this result, this kind of experience. I'm already thinking "I'll take sneaks and t-shirt and shorts and walk during lunch... i'll sneak out for a walk when things start getting to me like the Kid goes for a smoke!" I started thinking that maybe that will be my game... everytime he goes out on a smoke break I'll go for a stair-climb break! Besides which, sitting too long is starting to bother my knees and my feet. And, most importantly... they aren't empty words; this is what I FEEL, not what I think. This is what I want.
3. My knee probably won't let me run the Turkey Trot. Then again, I have 3 months/12 weeks... the Plan is for 8/9 weeks... if I keep walking with intention the next couple of weeks and start the strengthening exercises I may be able to do it. Right now, even running across the street to avoid traffic is awkward; and that bothers the hell out of me. I need to clean the living room tomorrow so that I can dig out my weight bench and weights. I'm going to hold on the gym until it starts getting brisk out... I want more outside exposure, as odd as it sounds I kinda need it. I want more sun, I want more breeze and clouds and whispering trees and critters and cicadas. I don't want to lock myself up in a gym just yet.
and now... more water!! and meeting minutes... and bed!