I was speaking with a runner I’d coached during his high school career several years ago and asked him how the running was going now.
“Well…actually, I don’t have time right now,” he complained.
He went into an explanation that included a heavy college load, work and life in general.
“Its school all day and then work and by the time I get home and have something to eat, there’s no time to run. I used to think people were just lazy when they said they didn’t have time to exercise, but now I’m getting it. I just don’t have the mental energy to get it going after a full day,” he said.
His life had been like mine. He was always part of a team up to and including his first couple of years at Case Western Reserve University. Running was programmed in…it was part of the schedule. When I worked in athletic facilities, I had the same kind of routine. Often times I was riding to work as a form of transportation and then putting members through their paces, but joining them in many cases. I had a facility at my disposal and a ready shower…all on the job. Then I went to work in the real world and struggled to find the time for exercise initially.
“I like to run 100 miles a week, John, and if I can’t put that much into it, well…I’m just doing nothing,” he lamented.
I know that feeling, too, and it took a commitment to the blog to get me back on track. I realized once again that the rest of my day was off a beat if I wasn’t doing something, regardless of how little.
“There are days I’m too banged up to run or exercise, so I’ll just go to the park and walk down to the marsh with my camera and take advantage of the serenity. At least I’ve done something and it makes it easier to do anything else I have to do because I’m right in my head,” I told him. I think he needs to get out and run a simple 30-45 minutes because I know it would make the rest of the day better.
I made it to the park with a misty drizzle still falling. It has now been raining pretty much non-stop since Sunday. When I witness the devastation along the east coast, I know I have nothing to complain about so let’s call it an observation. I tried a different trail and found several more trees down. Some have already been removed…the Metropark staff is awfully efficient in clearing the bridle and paved paths. I stayed away from the hiking trails I like to run so much because I was sure they were nothing more than rivers of mud and would be offering hazardous footing. I can wait a couple of more days for them to have a chance to dry out.
I arrived home and went straight to the trainer where I put in another hour of riding. I suspect I’ll get a chance to get out this weekend since the forecast is for sunshine, but if I do, I’ll be bundling up since the high is forecasted for the mid-forties. That would seem warm after riding through the winter…but I haven’t been riding through the winter and I’m still a freeze baby.
Run Duration: 32 minutes. Bike Duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140 bpm running and 120 bpm biking.
Calories burned during workout: 550 running and 850 biking.
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