Sunday, October 24, 2010

Back on Track

So, the thing about getting older is it takes a lot more work to feel younger. Well, at least that's what I'm finding. Since this time last year my once somewhat-regular exercise routine has been derailed by Achilles tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, and the more recent diagnosis of Venous Reflux disease. Not only have these recent diagnoses made me feel old, they've also made it difficult to keep up with my already spotty relationship with running.

I've run for exercise off and on for at least 30 years. I've never been all that fast but have had some great runs along the Potomac and through DC. I've run in 5Ks, 10Ks and a few 10 mile races. I trained for a marathon, but never made it to the finish line after a flare-up of tendonitis 18 miles into a training run. For me, it's not abnormal for months to go by without a run. Life gets in the way sometimes, making it more difficult to find the time to commit to getting back into the shoes and back into shape.

Just the same, after volunteering to be a "buddy runner" for students participating in "Girls On Track" at school I found myself lacing up my running shoes one more time. My goal was to cover a mile. I knew I couldn't run the entire mile, but was determined to get from point A to point B as quickly as my out of shape body could take me. After a five-minute warm-up I settled into a nice run/walk pattern and covered the mile in about 12 minutes. It's a start...not great, not terrible...but a start. I think I'll be able to keep up with the girls next week. I do believe this could be the beginning of something.

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