The Running Man

This is something for some reason that I have actually put some thought into. Yeah, I know, it is probably because I really don't have a whole hell of a lot else to think about right now. Maybe that is true...I don't know, but this is my blog and I can write about whatever I want.

If any of you are long time, back when I was a kid friends then you knew me when I was a basketball fanatic. I played all the time growing up, anytime that I could. I played in elementary school, middle school and high school and did fairly well for myself. Could have done more, but if you know me, you know I can be a bit headstrong and tend to think that I have the answer to just about everything.

((Me getting ready to run//Courtesy: The Lovely Bride (Michelle))

What I am getting to is this; as much ball as I played, I was never much on conditioning. I played, a lot and was almost always a starter and played most if not all of the game. But I hated conditioning, running in particular. Never saw the point in it. Never understood, even later when it became more popular, why it was such a big deal.

Now I do. I really started running about two years ago. I started mostly on the treadmill. I had lifted weights for a long time and thought that was keeping me in good shape. It wasn't. I got big from lifting. Heck, I was 270 pounds when I got married in April of 2007. But in the Spring of 2008, I got motivated. My parents had given me their treadmill when they moved to Wilmington, North Carolina and I finally started using it.

Now, running on a treadmill isn't quite the same as running on the streets or a track. But it helped, I played softball in the Spring of 2008 as well and the two things helped me lose 30 pounds in about 3 months.

The treadmill is where I did most of my running while in Atlanta. My ankles you see aren't in the greatest shape. I had a very, very bad injury between my Junior and Senior years in High School where I tore all the ligaments and tendons in my right ankle, which left me with bone spurs. Fearing that I couldn't handle running on the street, I stayed on the treadmill. But, the more I ran, the more my endurance built. I went from 2 to 3 to 4 miles in a session and at a fairly good pace.

When we moved to Cincinnati, I didn't have a treadmill to use. We didn't have anywhere to put it in the house we rented. So I had to run on the street and I did. Again, starting around 2 miles, three times a week, I'm up to 3 miles three times a week now. It is a bit of a challenge sometimes, it gets cold here. But, I've bought enough gear that I can run in it. 20 degrees, snow, wind, I've run in it all.

Strangely, I feel weird now when I don't run. I don't now if it is just the exercise or getting a good 30 minutes or so with just me, my thoughts and the I-Pod Nano. But it feels good, the weight is down to 230 and I feel healthy. I'm not bulked up like I was, but my blood pressure has lowered as has my heart rate.

I'm not writing this to be this all-knowing advocate or to preach or anything else like it. I'm writing about this because I am just surprised that I now love doing something that I never much care for before. It's just surprising to me and kind of a good chuckle. Just a random thought, but that I suppose is what writing on your blog is; just writing down whatever comes to mind.

Today's music pick is one of the Greatest Rock songs of all times; Courtesy: Vevo and the You Tube: