I am not an athlete. Not by any measure. The most active I ever was occurred during high school, while I was in "band camp." I did do a fair amount of walking to and from class at NCSU. Also, when I lived in Ireland, it was necessary to walk everywhere in Dublin. But work out? Me? I'm a writer, and that means many hours spent typing at a desk or on the couch.
That's all changing.
First of all, I've been an avid fan of a Total Body Conditioning class at my local Community Center. This involves weights and low impact exercises. It's mostly about strength. Fortunately, the instructor is far from perky, refrains from shouting out "Knees up in the back!" and otherwise ignores you when you need to stop for a breather. Those moments are growing fewer and far between for me. I'm mostly pausing during push-ups, abdominals, and butt stuff. Otherwise, I'm lifting my 10 lbs bar over my head for every repetition!
Secondly, I started January 2009 with the whole Oprah "Best Life" craze. For the first time, I realized that exercising wasn't really a chore -- it was taking out time for yourself, to be kind to yourself. Because I knew my family was heading to Walt Disney World in March, I started walking every single day. I kept imagining myself walking from the entrance to Space Mountain, or from Frontier Land to Main Street. I didn't want to be out of breath. I wanted to have the endurance to enjoy the parks all day long.
Because this regimen has been pretty steady, I've now found many benefits from exercising. In fact, I get very antsy when I don't do anything. Whenever I'm driving by and seeing someone jogging with headphones on, I can't help but think, Why am I not out there? It puts my mind at ease. It's become a ritual before showering, so that I really enjoy the warm spray on my back. And gastric irregularity? A thing of the past. I'm drinking copious amounts of water, and I'm turning to better dietary choices. Although my weight hasn't dropped like I want it to, my body is leaner. I wore actual shorts not too long ago, which I haven't done since high school.
I have a heart condition, but I'm not letting that stop me. Certainly I'm paying attention to my body when I'm out there doing things, especially in this terrible North Carolina heat. But I'm determined to become a runner. I've always envied muscular legs and the ability to run long distances. Up until now, I've jogged portions of my walk, but I haven't pushed myself.
Now, we're going back to WDW. Lo and behold, while checking the events of 2010, there is a 5k Family Fun Run, which I think takes you through Epcot. This is an early morning event before the park opens. Even though I've read some complaints about the disorganization, I'm considering doing it. Why? So that I have a goal. Be able to run 3+ miles in a respectable amount of time. Even if they give me a cheap, cheesy medal at the end of it, I know I would be so unbelievably proud of mysef. I would be like those runners I so admire -- the folks running a marathon. Amazing!!!
So this blog's goal is to document my process. I want to see all the work I've put into it. To enter the race, I will have to register by January, so I have some time before deciding whether I will do it. But I'm hoping the mere idea of this will kick me into gear and have me running farther and longer than ever before!
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