I Can Jog a Mile!

Tonight I jogged a mile for the 3rd time in my life. The first time I jogged a mile was around the beginning of August, and the 2nd time was last week, so I am only starting to be able to say "I can jog a mile."

Growing up, I read, I climbed trees, and I played with dolls. I was outside a lot, and I did run through the woods near the lake where we lived, but these were short bursts of running followed by lots of walking and contemplating nature. As I child, I could sit still for long periods studying ants, or examining flowers, or looking for mica in the slate and shale rocks near the lake.

In 6th grade, however, I flew around our little playground at Una Elementary and won a ribbon for running, so in 7th grade I tried out for track. It was a rude awakening to discover I was the slowest girl who tried out and the only one who couldn't run all the way around the track. I failed so miserably and was so deeply mortified, I never thought of myself as a runner again, but that all changed last year.

After moving to a tiny room in a Microtel hotel when a washing machine hose burst in the night and flooded my house in 2010, my tiny dog Katy became deathly ill and could no longer see, hear or walk. I had to painstakingly nurse my fragile little girl back to health which meant I had to stay in the cramped Microtel room with her almost 24/7. After a month or so I realized I was slowly turning into pudding, so I started jogging in place in the Microtel, just 200 steps at a time at first I was so out of shape.


By the time we moved home, little Katy was doing somewhat better, so I began to take her to our local park to let her walk a few feet and enjoy the smells. Then I would put her in the car and walk a lap or two myself. One leg of the track runs downhill, so I began to jog down that side for 1 lap, then 2, 3, and 4 laps. By the time I was jogging downhill for 4 legs, I figured 4 legs equaled a lap, and I should start running 1 lap. Soon my little dog and I were both in better shape.

Tonight as I started my 5th lap, I remembered when jogging one lap was so difficult last year -- much harder than jogging five laps is now. It was only a year ago that I started jogging for the 1st time in my life. Today I jogged a mile.

It is with a feeling of accomplishment and deep satisfaction that I look back on my slow start into jogging and fitness. It took me over 50 years to become a jogger, and I started by jogging in place 200 steps in a Microtel hotel.  Now I can jog a mile. I feel better than I have in 30 years, and I wonder how many of those girls who outran me in 7th grade could outrun me now.

As the commercial says, "JUST DO IT."

 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Birthdays Of Christian Artists - Month By Month List of Gospel Music Birthdays

Choking on Honey: What to Do

'Naked and Afraid XL' and Mean Girl Cliques