TheBanyanTree: The First Run

[Margaret R. Kramer]

I did some online Christmas shopping; you won’t catch me fighting over a
parking spot or who was ahead of who in line or who got the last great deal
on TMX Elmo.  No, I usually do a chunk of  my Christmas shopping online.  I
can compare deals, make informed decisions, and I think buy better gifts
when I’m shopping from the quiet of my own home.

But the weather was just too good to stay inside.  It was another 50 degree
and sunny day and I could hear the river calling my name.  I’ve been meaning
to start running again, but I haven’t had the time until yesterday.  I spent
some of my summer weekends riding my bike, but my bike is in storage now, so
it’s time to use my feet again.

I got off to a good start, but as I approached the 1.5 mile mark of a three
mile run, I died.  My brain was willing, but the muscles in my legs were
not.  They weren’t sore, they just wouldn’t pay any attention to my brain
impulses.  I ended up walking the rest of the way back to my car.  I think
the only thing that kept me moving at any decent pace at all was knowing
that a homeless man was walking a distance behind me, probably from his camp
by the river to the homeless center downtown, and I imagined him catching up
with me and asking me for money, which I didn’t have.  To avoid this awkward
exchange, as any introverted person would do, I kept my feet moving.

I work out most days of the week, but I was surprised how quickly my legs
gave out running.  I’m certainly not in Lance Armstrong’s league, but I
think the same thing happened to me as did for him when he ran in the New
York Marathon.  Yeah, I know he finished in less than three hours, but he
struggled to get that time.  I spend more time strengthening my legs for
muscle kind of things, like carrying stuff upstairs or lifting heavy objects
than I do for cardio type things like running.  I have to train my brain to
let myself run.  Also, I’m not built like a runner.  Most of them are lean
and fine boned and I’m big boned and heavy, especially around the hips.  My
legs are tree trunks, meant to carry heavy burdens, not meant to run from
them.

But running appeals to me for some reason.  There is something about getting
my legs moving and getting my heart pumping and being outside that motivates
me.  I know I look pretty funny with my big butt and big legs going along,
but in my mind, I’m as sleek and graceful as any Kenyan runner.

My next scheduled running 5K is at the end of January.  The goal is there.
I know what I need to do to reach it.

Margaret R. Kramer
margaretkramer at comcast.net

Thanksgiving Day is a jewel, to set in the hearts of honest men; but be
careful that you do not take the day, and leave out the gratitude.
~E.P. Powell