The Great Turtle Race

Last Thursday I said to my chiropractor,

"Shall I tell you what I've been up to, or would you like to do the adjustment first?"

Without hesitation, he said,

"No - don't tell me, we'll just see what's going on here..."

My adjustments, usually at C6 and T4-5 went surprisingly smoothly, however it was my second visit to the office that week.

I was surprised at how little was required because usually that stubborn T4 puts up a bit of a fight.

"I started my walk/run programme this morning", I said, which was a bit of a white lie since I had been out a couple weeks earlier, but since the cold snap here I haven't felt much like braving the cold. So, in my mind I justified last Thursday as my official start day.

My fist concern was whether or not my body was ready for the pounding and abuse of running. I asked Dr. M. quite directly, "Should I be strengthening some muscle groups before running?"

Again, without hesitation he said,

"No - do it! That's great! BUT... don't go too hard too soon. You're better to do a lot more walking than running."

He inquired as to what programme I was following. I never really considered it a "programme" per se, but simply a ratio I'd found on a website: 30 seconds of walking to 90 seconds of running... for the first week. Dr. M. thought that was maybe the MAXIMUM I should be doing and recommended I take it down for the first little while. So, I've been doing what I guestimate to be about 10 seconds of running to 90 seconds of walking.

I have a path right by my house that is conveniently cleared by the City on a regular basis, so the balmy weather yesterday and today make for perfect conditions.

Maybe I should share why it is I've taken up running - for the guy who said he would never run. Back around Christmas my brother-in-law mentioned that he and the kids were thinking of doing the Mother's Day 5K walk/run in May. My nephew, all of 10, spends a great deal of time on the treadmill. He's been told that in order to get more computer time, he must remain active. The deal was, x amount of time on the treadmill for y amount of computer time. HE apparently misunderstood, thinking it was a 2:1 ratio of treadmill to computer time.

He started running 15K PER DAY... I say again, PER DAY!

I figured the walk/run in May would be a great family outing, but holy, man! I'd better get my butt in gear if I want to keep up with my nephew! When I told Dr. M. that I was interested in bringing myself up to speed for the 5K, he said,

"Just remember - take it easy NOW, and you'll be able to run the enitre 5K. If you DON'T, you'll be walking it."

Thanks, by the way, to those of you who contributed financially to help me into my first pair of REAL running shoes. You can imagine what they cost when they're purchased with donations to the Great Turtle Race! (Reminds me of the board game I had as a kid, and I tried to find a link to it, but found nothing. Anyone remember the game?)

Anyway, off and running, I've discovered a phenomenon about people’s reaction to you as a runner instead of a stroller-by on the paths. As a runner, cute girls who run with their dogs say hi on their way by. Just one of the perks of a new activity, I suppose!

Namaste.