Hit the road, slack

Hit the road, Slack
And don’t you complain no more, no more

Admit it. You’ve been avoiding it for some time now. You know it’s something that you ought to be doing – if not for yourself, then for those you love. But something keeps holding you back – a kind of stranglehold on both your temporal and metaphysical self – that keeps you strapped in the recliner, your nose buried in a bag of chips. I speak, of course, about exercising – running, to be specific.

I was right there with you, brother. The next time I considered going for an invigorating run would be the first. And, guess what? I’ve discovered that it’s not so bad after you finally get your sorry butt out there and start pounding the pavement.

Exercise and I have long had an uneasy relationship. I knew that some type of aerobic exercise ought to become my new best friend. But, I just couldn’t get myself motivated to do it.

Then one day I just, well, started. It’s as simple as that. No harangue from the wife, no dire warning from the doctor. I just decided that I could be as good a runner – and as enthusiastic about it – as the next guy. So, it was off to the local running store, and 130 dollars later I was ready for the road.

As for the actual running part, well I did take the advice of experts who caution beginners to start slow, combining light jogging with walking. And, generally speaking I ignored the distances I was covering, however meager they might have been. Instead, my focus was on time spent exercising and little more. If I walked most of the way, well then, so be it.

I found that, surprisingly, I was capable of exercising for half-an-hour or so as a 50-50 proposition. About half the time I’d jog until my breathing became too labored, and then would walk for a couple of minutes. In short order (I’m talking a few days here) the ratio flipped to about 75 percent running, 25 percent walking.

And, that’s where I am today, steadily making progress, pushing the limit slowly, apart from considerations about what others might say or think. Most amazingly, I actually look forward to my every-other-day jogs. And, that my friends, is nothing short of a miracle.