Cork Fell Out, and BOY Do I Stink.

Boy do I ever. Stink, I mean.

This is a good thing, though. Better than good, it's great.

I have recently tumbled into a continuing string of health issues, including more "My Body Is In Open Revolt" adventures while on our vacation (which I will write about soon. later. after tomorrow. I swear. But it rocked. And I want to die in a vat of chocolate at Harry London's.)

I decided it was finally time to dig up my Nike+ sneakers and iPod and put them to decent use. The time has come to respect my body a little more, and to whip it into enough shape that things like my spine will cooperate with me. (Plus, the exercise is supposed to help with the Sciatica... Which, for reasons I'm not at liberty to explain, I cannot get treated professionally until at least next week.) I'm rambling, aren't I? Yeah. Bear with me, people.

SO! Saturday night I strapped on my sneakers and my magic music box (iPod Nano, how do I love thee...) and went for a long run. I would guess it came close to 4 miles. I can't tell you for sure because.. I am broken, and somehow forgot to select the "begin workout" function on my iPod. So the run stats were not recorded.

I say "run" very loosely, since I have not been a runner of any dependability since approximately 1997. Back then I could run 5 or 6 miles with the aid of my trusty Walkman tape player and the mix tape that my friend Jenny made me, which totally rocked because it had a combination of STP and Duran, Duran and - c'mon - you wish you could have been as cool as all that.

10 years, 2 kids, and 30 pounds later it's more of a power walk. Which is actually better, because my knees are probably next to go. I'm not yet thirty, but somehow my body failed to notice this fact. It's under the impression it is closer to about 50 - hence the (likely) herniated disc or two in my lumbar spine.

SO! I got a few miles in on Saturday evening. Again, tonight, I headed out and managed to properly set the sensor to record all the workout stats: 2.95 miles, averaging 15 minutes per mile. Not setting any world records, obviously, but also not too shabby for a broke down old mare. The neighborhood was still light, the kids were out playing basketball and riding bikes while teenage couples strolled hand-in-hand down the sidewalk. I never realized how many young couples with strollers there are in this neighborhood - I always assumed we were in something of a minority that way. It appears I was mistaken.

I can't guarantee I will be able to keep this up... I've had starts and stops, fits and spurts over the years as I attempted to get my body back into a healthy form. Even when we got married and I had only 150 pounds or so on my 5' 8" frame, it was more from calorie restriction, pilates, and ephedrine supplements than from actual disciplined workouts. That said, there is something about working up a good, honest sweat out on the pavement that kicks the senses into high gear and perks up the mind. Those Buddhist monks are on to something with that meditative exercise idea. Clears the cobwebs and pulls everything back towards the center.
Now if it just fixes sciatica, too, I'll be golden. And, hopefully, a few sizes smaller.