#1: Quit Smoking:
I suck. There, I said it. Are you happy now? My first foray into being a permanent non-smoker lasted approximately 10 hours. After that I seem to make it through portions of days without cigarettes, but invariably cave in. I keep telling myself that "tomorrow will be the day", but then tomorrow comes around and I have to make some excuse. "Work is too hard" seems to be the go-to.
As I said in my first post, I'm not so idealistic to think that I could say that I would quit smoking, and then the next day my dream came true. But I am going with a combination of the buddy system, lots of chewing gum, and probably a few extra hours of quiet weeping at night. Oh yeah, and the gentle, soothing British voice of Max Kirsten coming out of my iPod. I'll keep the four of you informed (and I think I'm greatly overstating my audience).
Now, onto the next one, because I see no reason to wait.
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I ran a 10K once. It was the Fall Crawl, held annually in my hometown. It was a completely spur-of-the-moment decision. This was over a decade ago, so the details are a little fuzzy, but I know I signed up to do the walk, and then I saw a friend that was going to run, and I said "I'M GOING TO RUN, TOO HURRRRRR", and 30 seconds later the starting pistol went off.
To say I "ran" it is a bit of an exaggeration. Like most southwest Pennsylvania towns, Irwin is 90% hills. I jogged, I walked, occasionally I bent over and prayed that my legs would fall off. I spotted my gym teacher on the side of the road around 6K, with a twisted ankle, and I spent far too much time talking to him as he lay there in agony. "So...are we playing kickball on Monday?" "If I had some ice I would give it to you, but I don't have any. Sorry."
I finished it. I can't recall what place it was, but I'm guessing it was approaching 4 digits. The next morning I made it from my bed to the couch, where I spent the entire day. I'm not even sure I went to the bathroom. TMI? I don't care.
For all intents and purposes, I will say that I never ran a 10K. I will also say that my last attempt at long distance running took place in college. As a pitcher you are required to have what my coach would call a "strong trunk", and that usually meant having legs built for endurance. Every Saturday morning we would make the run from the practice field, around to the edge of campus, back towards the buildings, and then back to the field. It was about four miles.
I ran it five times, and then I dropped out of that school (not because of the running).
That was 16 years ago.
So, why run now?
I think it is the easiest, most cost-effective method of aerobic exercise, and rare is the day where you can't squeeze in a run. I don't say that it's "easy" because running is easy, but you don't have to learn how to throw a curveball or kick a field goal to do it. I think running creates a level of zen, where you can let your mind roam free for a few minutes (or hours, if you're insane). I think running is good for the mind, the body, and the soul.
How do I go from struggling up a flight of stairs to running 6 miles and 376.13 yards? With an iPod app, of course. And a new pair of running shoes. And a kickass playlist (recommendations always welcome).
If any of you see me galloping along down at the high school track, please, try to laugh quietly. Or laugh loudly, but in your car or something, with the windows up. I'm sure it won't be a pretty sight...at least not at first.
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