Just Write Something

A very wise co-worker and I were having a conversation the other day.  He said that in his "post-teacher" life he wanted to be a stand-up comic  To that end, he was writing down funny experiences and quotes that he came across.  I said to him that I would like to write a book some day. "I'm a really good writer," I said. "I just suck at coming up with plots."  He responded, "You don't have to come up with plots, just write small things - conversations, characters, experiences.  Just write something!"  I realized he was right.  So this is me just writing something.  

I ran 3.25 miles tonight.  All in a row.  Without stopping.  This might not sound like much of an accomplishment but it really, really is.  You see, I just turned 45 years old and I have never been a runner.  Occasionally in my life I made the attempt to run.  I'd get up to being able to run a mile or so.  I once trained for a bi-athalon (biking and running) and I made two miles - but just barely.  I just really didn't like running and I never experienced that runners high that people talk about.

Then my 45th birthday loomed on the horizon.  I realized that I was feeling old, tired, and fat.  I decided that I didn't want to turn "old" and feel it too.  So I bought myself a treadmill and a TV.  I put the treadmill in my oldest daughters now vacant bedroom and mounted the TV in front of it. I got the TV hooked up so that I can watch TV and I can watch "on demand" shows.  Then I started to run.

At first I was really bad.  My treadmill has a blinking display that shows your progress around an imaginary quarter mile track.  At first I could only make it one lap.  I'd walk a lap, then run a lap.  Then I'd walk two laps to recover. Then run one more.  And I was very, very slow.  But I figured at least I was trying.

I thought that it would be good to have a goal.  I picked a fun run a few months in the future and decided I would train for that race. I would have a deadline and a distance that I would need to be able to run by that deadline.  The run is a 5K which means that I would have to be able to run 3.1 miles in three months time.

My goal was to just run a little farther each time.  Even if it was only a few feet farther.  Pretty soon I could do two laps, then three. I was so excited the day I ran a whole mile!  Slowly I got further and further.  Until tonight when I ran 3.25 miles.  Thirteen laps.  And it felt good.

The best part is, I don't feel old at all.