George Schweitzer has an entire series of posts titled Reasons to be Athletic. Most are lighthearted observations about the benefits of training, and all provide insight into some of the reasons people do train. Next to his race reports, these are some of his best posts. By the way, if you're looking for information about races or trying to benefit from what others have done, definitely read George's race reports. They are a wealth of knowledge and tips.
Last night, I had my own "benefits of training" moment. And it all centers on owning a car with over 100,000 miles. That's because there's this thing called 90,000 mile maintenance. It's a big one. Between the maintenance and a few recall issues, the dealer had my vehicle for two days. And when I got it back, all was well. Okay, all was well until outside temperatures became more winter-like. One brisk morning, as I headed to the pool and then work, it became very apparent that things were less than perfect in the heat category. As in "wow, it's taking a long time to warm the car up" turning into, "ummm, that's awfully cold air my vents are blowing" type imperfect.
Fortunately, my dad was available to get me from the dealer to the Boys' and Girls' Brigade where I lead a group of 8th graders. That, however, left me to my own devices for getting back to the car. When the program ended at nine, I headed out the door. My options were to have my wife pick me up (with the requisite bundling up of children), or put all this training to good use AND get in an impromptu run workout.
So, I headed out the door and started running. I'm sure many people questioned my sanity. It was cold. It was late. And I was running. I, however, very honestly viewed it as a short jog to get my car. And it was short. Probably 1.5 miles. I did it in 10 minutes and never broke a sweat. Remember, it's COLD. Five years ago, the Navy could barely get me to jog 1. 5 miles as part of the mandatory physical readiness test. Today, it isn't even a warmup.
Add it to the list of reasons to be athletic.
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9 comments:
In the spirit of Nike - Just do it! It's funny how many things you just say, "heck with it" and go do now that you wouldn't have done years ago....keep it up!
Hee! When I was in Las Vegas with a group of friends back in October, I was constantly having to remind myself that what I thought of as "not that far" of a distance to travel on foot was. . . *slightly* different than most other people's. ;)
Great to be fit and self sufficient, hmmm?
Yeah for you! Thanks for the link too!
Great post and thanks for the shout-out. I feel that people rely on modern conveiences so much that something as simple as a 1.5 mile jog would be a major hurdle. You display the practical benefits of the active lifestyle at its best. Way to go!
How quickly our physical limits change once we do become athletic.
As a fellow account and someone else who keeps cars long enough to hit 100,000 miles, I have to ask... you don't by chance have a Ford Taurus, do you?
why would there ever be a doubt about running home? What is that?
Too bad for those that may have given you an incredulous look for running home. Perhaps you'll be an example of fitness they will follow.
Stay tuned...
Good on ya!
Maybe we are quite similar in character. When I was in the Army and we HAD to run, I would do anything to avoid it. Now that I just WANT to run, I will try all sorts of ways to get it into my day. Go figure. :)
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