Taking the Training Wheels Off

Last night I went out to dinner with two friends. We enjoyed our dinner and I took notes for my little side gig. But mostly we chatted, getting to know each other just a little bit better than before.

When I got home, I was tired but I had this overwhelming urge to go for a walk. I wanted to get some extra exercise in before going to sleep after eating late.

Truth is, I've been pretty desperately looking for as many opportunities as possible to get in just a little extra calorie burning. The big 3-0 is coming up. And right after that comes up, I plan to jump back into the dating game so I need to get myself in shape. I'm tired of wearing clothes that are loose fitting just because I'm embarrassed of my stomach and my waist. I don't want to be embarrassed when I meet a new guy, I want to feel confident. I also don't want to be physically uncomfortable the way I am now.

So, I walked. Pretty quickly, around a nearby park, one smack-dab in the middle of my little town. Walked in the dark. As I went up one side of the park, the first side (it's shaped like a triangle), I suddenly got the urge to run. To jog, actually. I hadn't officially ran since I was a teenager and I blew out my knee. Twice. In a year. I spent just under a year with either a cast or with an immobilizer on. The pain wasn't so great either. The feeling of the three bones rubbing against each other but all going an opposite way. I can still remember it. Sort of, except that it happened so quickly. I remember the initial feeling, not so much the actual pain. It still makes me squirm.

So, as I walked, I picked up the pace a little more and a little more. Eventually I got up the nerve (about 15 years in the making) and jogged just a little bit. Then I walked, then I jogged just a little bit more. Then I walked... and so it went. I was scared but I loved it. I was almost crying as I picked up the speed. Granted, I honestly need to work on it and I need to get some knee braces, just to be on the safe side, but I'm going to jog more often. I know I don't know how to anymore, that I actually have to teach myself how to run again... believe me, my shadow looked silly so I know that I did. Once I get the knee braces, I'll probably work up to actually running, not just puttering along at a faster than walking but not quite cruising pace.

Still, it was wonderful.