When I was younger, I used to do a fair amount of running. I was never very good at it (for comparison, my dad ran the Boston Maration in under 3 hours), but it was good exercise. I've given it up from time to time, and over the years have unfortunately gained weight like a normal American. I tried running when I first moved to Wyoming, but between the altitude (7200 feet), the outside temperatures, and the business of a faculty job, it was hard to keep the habit. I got a decent treadmill at Christmas, but have only used it intermittently.
When I got separated last month, I realized I needed to do several things, or I'd be worse off than I already was. I needed to drink less, not more. I needed to be social, more so than usual. And I needed to resume regular exercise.
I've been running very regularly the last few weeks. I've lost a little weight, not as much as I'd like, but I realize I'd need to diet a lot more than I am to lose weight faster. Losing weight slowly is fine if it's a solid lifestyle change. Exercise helps, but not quickly, since you build muscle, and muscle is denser than fat.
I can run 3 miles in under 25 minutes now, 2 miles in under 16 minutes, and 1 mile in just over six minutes (pretty much flat out near the treadmill's top speed of 10 mph). I continue to have a lot of tightness in my calves, and have recently ordered a new pair of running shoes that might help (along with better hydration, minerals, and stretching). Nike now let's you CUSTOMIZE YOUR OWN SHOES. This is really cool. I got a pair of black and red Air Max shoes with a logo that says "LEFT" on both of them.
I'm not known for my dancing, after all.
Posted by Mike at June 20, 2005 12:29 AM