I enjoy playing sports - soccer, hockey, even basketball's alright. My primitive mind is motivated by the pursuit of a well-defined goal. And when it comes to exercise, motivation is all I need, and often all too hard to find.
This is why I probably loathe running. It's never done it for me. I've tried running on a track, on a trail, in my neighborhood, on a treadmill, at night, in the morning, in the middle of the day. But there's no goal, no immediate satisfaction, and I quickly grow bored and disdainful. I did alright running in Audubon Park (NOLA), where I had Mike and Brett to run with, and the promise of a cold shower in the middle of the run. But still, I was always more eager to throw the frisbee around or play football or have a watergun fight.
As I train for the apocalypse, I can't help but come to grips with the necessity of running in an end-of-civilization type situation. There will inevitably be a speed/endurance benchmark for survival, and I intend to be ready.
It was also slightly convenient that Tim stepped up to the plate to be my running partner. His presence has made running far more enjoyable, mostly because I have someone else to keep me company and help me with my pacing.
Right now, the running is pretty casual. We're running extremely slowly (about 13 min miles) for 25-30 minutes. But it feels pretty good to be doing it.
Always in search of a goal, I have my mind set on running the Keep Austin Weird 5k on August 28, just 3 days before I fly to London. It will be awesome to cap off my time in Austin with fitness success. Also, adding a social element to running seems to keep me at it.
Posted by monica at June 25, 2004 06:43 PM
