While, I am not signing up for any marathons any time soon, I have gotten into a steady rhythm of doing some sort of kind of physical activity three times a week for no more than thirty minutes at a time. I am a mixture of pride and partial self loathing. Mostly, I do it because I gained ten pounds mysteriously over the last year or so. (I know, right? How could it happen?!) But I also do it because I am stressed out and running away always seems like a viable option when one is stressed. Drinking wine is another option, but… calories.
I am (re) starting the C25K plan, through an app I have on my phone. It has successfully gotten me through three weeks of hell, running. I feel like I have become an athlete. I am a regular gym junkie. (no) Or something. Three weeks has, laughably, been the longest stint of regular exercise I have completed since the horror of Freshman Basketball in High School.
Now, I’ve been half heartedly working out over the course of the last few years, only going on a run if I felt particularly masochistic that day, and/or if I wanted to look like an angry red blob. (Sometimes you just gotta do it)
I mean, why do people put themselves through his? Running is dangerous!!
Of course I could run outside, but, being winter… yeah… no.
Even on nice days, you run or be run over.
So I’ve mostly kept my high intensity physical activity to a minimum. There are always books that need to be read and knitting to be done, so it’s an easy distraction.
Here is the weird thing about running/working out that I’ve realized in the last week: I’ve come to like it. No, I don’t mean that I like running, or working out in and of themselves. But that feeling of accomplishment when I get to check off another box at the end of the workout, or that relaxed “I got this” feeling when I walk into class. (Yay endorphins! Yay science!) It’s a small accomplishment, but a big one in an academic sphere where I feel I have little to none. It’s something I can put a time stamp on and feel glad that I at least did something. And that’s something and I don’t mind celebrating it.
