Warning: Whiny Rant to follow

Finally tried a run this morning.  After 3+ weeks off.  I knew it wasnt going to be good because I am still limping sometimes and my achilles still hurts especially in the morning.  Ive had a list of orthopaedic doctors on my desk since last week but hadnt call one yet.  I ran.  2 miles to the office.  Did the first in 8:23.  Felt ok but a little winded.  Then it started happening again.  The achilles started barking.  I limped it out for a few more blocks then pulled up at about 1.4. 

I have an appointment on Monday morning at Seaview Orthopaedic.

Ive never in my life wanted to be active and couldn't.  Most of my adult life I avoided the gym or exercize until I was so out of shape that I had to do something.  I joined the Y in Scotch Plains and would work out every year in January and February, fulfilling a New Years resolution to lose weight.  i remember going there once (just once) in the summer and thinking how odd it was cause I only ever went in the winter. 

But somehow I got motivated 4 years ago and took to this thing.  I am fighting aging for sure.  Fulfilling a promise to myself.  Pushing myself.  Imposing discipline on an otherwise carefree life. 

And I love it.  I love setting a PR, whether its a marathon or a 5k.  I love toeing the line with other runners.  Pinning my race number on and joining a community.  I love the regiment of training.  Knowing Mondays are 3 miles, Tuesdays are track work.  Wednesdays are 6 miles.  I love when I wake up and have 5 different excuses for not running and yet I do it anyway.  I love seeing my house from down the road on Wyckoff, knowing I am 2 tenths of a mile away and emptying the tank to get to the Japenese Maple at the front door.  I love finding my name on the website of a race, seeing the results in black and white a day after running as if that validates the pain and soreness.  I love grabbing a cup of water from the volunteers and thanking them for helping and then they say You look great keep going.  I love seeing a car coming at me on the road, me on the shoulder and the driver smoking, tense, tired, miserable, me on the shoulder.  I love the expos, the big ones in new York and Chicago and the small ones too, pick up your race number, test your chip, find a place for pasta.  I love getting a medal when you cross the finish line.  I make them put them on me, dont just hand it to me.  I just ran 26 miles, you can drape that over my head.  I love eating and not worrying about my weight because Im running 40 miles this week so I can have that extra slice of pizza.  I love those days that are so hot people  see you running and want to call an ambulance.  Come home and an hour later Im still sweating.  I love that hill on Cold Indian Springs road with the church at the top.  I pray there. Whats the Idina Menzel line, "I dont know if the sky is heaven but I pray anyway."  I offer that hill up to anyone who needs it.  My nephew James mainly.  I love the morning of a  marathon when so much depends on whether I can shit or not.  If I can just move my bowels I could set a PR.  Never in my life does a bran muffin mean so much.  I love seeing an 8 in front of a mile split.  7s are even better.  I love the track work, early in the morning when the senior citizens are walking around it, using the outside lanes so the runners can use the inside lanes.  I love wearing an old race shirt to a marathon and seeing who stops me and says they ran that race too.  I love seeing race shirts that I recognize and stopping the person and saying I ran that race too.  I love carbs.  I love hundred dollar pairs of sneakers that only last 4 months cause I put too many miles on em.  I love my Garmin (when it works) and when i am feeling great and just making up a route.  I love ripping a new CD and then loading it onto my Ipod.  I love running in different cities, Las Vegas, LA, Boston.  I love running with friends in the morning, talking about shit we wouldnt talk about over coffee and a danish.  I love hearing, If you lose anymore weight  . . .  I love that my PR is New York.  I love that I couldnt beat it in Chicago even though I tried so hard I threw up after.  I love that I have a head full of memories of races and runs but I want to make so many more.  I want to just run.  I dont want to have to have surgery and rehab.  I just want to run until I stop loving it.  That too much to ask?

Comments

[Pop]

No, not too much but just be careful. Your body's telling you something through aches & pains and thought we Walter's "don't go to a doctor until a limb falls off" don't ignore it.