I’m watching an angry green blob dance across my smartphone screen. That green blob is a thunderstorm and currently it may be passing me or it may just be reaching me. I can’t tell. It’s 3:41 AM, I’m in my running gear, it’s raining and I’m beginning to think that I won’t get my run in today. I get edgier and edgier as the clock moves towards 4 A.M. I’ve had my day off this week and I really don’t want a two-day break from my work out. I’m considering just going and chancing the rain and lightning anyways.
It wasn’t always so. I used to be the opposite in fact. I would use any excuse not to go out for a run.
“It’s 96 degrees out instead of 95. too hot”
“I wore this yesterday, can’t wear it twice in a row”
“I’m 2 minutes too late. Can’t go today”
The rain is coming down steadily on my roof. I can’t tell if this green blob is moving towards or away from my house. I look it up on the desktop. Zooming in as much as possible. Straining to see if this is going to cancel my run or not. If it lets up soon I may still be able to go out.
I used to be so good at relaxing. It was second nature to me. Time off and time to my self were the most important parts of life and I marveled at the fact that some people had problems trying to relax and unwind. My priorities were so much different when I was younger. I once spent 18 hours straight playing an online game one time. Something that I still take perverse pride in. I only quit because the game owners brought the system down for maintenance. Carefree days back then. Not so much anymore.
3:52. The rain has decidedly slowed but will it pick up again? The radar says it probably won’t. A rumble of thunder in the distance. Maybe I should wait a bit. If I do a speed run I may still be able to afford a quick rinse in the shower to get the worst of the brine and mud off me before work.
When I began walking and then running I had to break my sedentary habits that I had cultivated for decades and commit myself to this type of life. In doing so the new paradigm of working to exhaustion took root over many long and hard months. Forcing myself to crave exercise took awhile but I got it done.
At the same time I had to recognize that my body needed time to repair itself and to sort itself out each week. So I took one day of rest and away from exercise each week. Two days a week, specially two days in a row had become unacceptable.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a someone that lives with a barbell attached to my hand and that does reps while talking on the phone or who lives in the gym. In fact I could probably stand more exercise in my life. But I do have some minimums that I have to keep up in my life and I don’t want to slide below my minimum level.
The rain has slowed enough. Got to go…
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