TheBanyanTree: Walk, Don't Run

[Margaret R. Kramer]

Spring continued to give us its “pre-Broadway” preview yesterday.  The
temperatures soared into the upper 40s, the sun’s winter weak rays managed
to melt a lot of snow, and the native Minnesotans continued to shed coats
and jackets and heavy sweaters for the lighter weight T-shirts, and yes,
shorts.

We saw a lot of bare legs and shorts at the Frozen 5K and Half Marathon
yesterday.  Some brave young men, and I mean young, like 14 years old young,
ran the 5K without shirts.  Susan and I are freeze babies, so we were our
long pants and sweatshirts.  But we didn’t have to wear hats or heavy
clothes during our 5K.

In spite of the wonderful weather, in spite of me working out six days a
week, I found out I can’t run.  I can walk real fast and not get winded, but
I can’t run.  Susan and I started off running, and my lungs quickly got sore
and my calves were throbbing.  Susan loped along and I tried to keep up with
her.  Susan who smokes, never works out, and eats a diet of pure sugar
seemed to have no trouble running.  Me, I clunked along, suffering with
every step.  What’s wrong with this picture?

But Susan couldn’t walk fast.  When we shifted into walking mode, I wanted
to zoom ahead, but Susan couldn’t keep up and got tired.  I think this
happened because we’re built differently.  Susan is tall and lean, about a
size 3, and I’m short and chunky, and I won’t say what size I am!  My legs
and thighs are big and I’m comfortable doing strength training.  Susan has
long, slender legs and probably running is natural to her, while I struggle
with it.

We went along the river, with the sun shimmering off the water.  On the
bluffs above us, an Amtrak train came by and we waved at the passengers.  We
enjoyed the sun after so many months of darkness, we reveled in the warm
air, and we enjoyed moving our bodies and working up a good sweat.  And
everyone’s faces had smiles.  No one could resist smiling because the
weather was so darn nice.

We got our goodie bag filled with nutrition bars, a banana, and a coffee
mug, and then had coffee at Caribou (kind of a Minnesota based Starbucks).
We planned to do the Human Race 5K in March along Summit Avenue, which is
St. Paul’s street of old and stately mansions.  Then we left downtown St
Paul and the Winter Carnival’s melting ice and snow sculptures and met Asher
and the boys at our favorite Korean restaurant.

But I have to learn how to run a 5K.  Part of my performance review is based
on SMART goals.  These are personal goals I set myself, but they’re part of
my evaluation for a pay raise.  One of my SMART goals is running, not
walking a 5K.  My target date is the Father’s Day (in June) Race for Action.
I bought a book on how to train for a 5K.  Of course, I haven’t done any
actual running until yesterday, but I was surprised at how much I struggled
with it.

It’s obvious I’m going to have to put some kind of training plan in place,
so I’ll read my book and get outside and do some running.  I’m a very
uncoordinated person and I always have a difficult time with new physical
activities, and I think that’s part of why I can’t run.  I have to “learn”
how to run and get comfortable with those motions.  I’ve been locked into
fast walking, swimming, and using the cross trainer, so I have to train my
brain about the movements I need to use for running.  I’m very tense when I
run and I need to learn to loosen up my muscles.  My breathing has to relax,
too, and I’ll concentrate on that when I get outside again.

I’m hoping I can run more in the March 5K and not get so tired.  That’s my
intermediate goal before the June race.

As I work through my running problems, the winds are changing on the
prairie.  They switched to the north and our little “pre-spring” is over.
The temperature is dropping, the clouds have rolled in, and we’re supposed
to get a dusting of light snow this afternoon.  We knew this weather was too
good to last.

Margaret R. Kramer
margaretkramer at comcast.net

http://www.polarispublications.com
Be a star!

http://www.bpwmn.org
Business and Professional Women of Minnesota

We loved with a love that was more than love.
--Edgar Allan Poe