The Big Runaround: Day One

I'm 46 and out of shape.

I'm not fat, per se (nor have I ever really been), but I'm Hell and gone from anything you could credibly describe as fit. While my wife scrupulously feeds our family a robustly healthy mix of stuff, I still find myself eating a ton of crap, and I drink entirely too much beer -- and will pointedly NEVER drink a "lite" beer. These summer days, I'm spending a lot more time with my kids, which means ice cream almost every day -- and I partake as well. This is not a sound plan.

I'm also at something of a crossroads. It's been a bumpy year (to put it very mildly), and I'm under a lot of pressure. I'm looking to focus. I'm looking to streamline. Not to sound too much like Travis Bickle, but I need to get organized.

So, given my penchant for excess, the threat of encroaching girth, the spread of silver across my scalp and various other worrying factors, I started ruminating about the concept of taking up running.

I walk absolutely everywhere, but that's just not high impact enough. If I'm going to fine-tune, I've got to do something more.

Back in the 90's and into the 2000's, both the wife and I had gym memberships, but Charlotte's arrival in 2004 put a stop to all that. A decade later, I simply don't have the time --- to say nothing of the money -- for a gym.

So, last night, after crowd-sourcing some feedback from my friends on Facebook, I set my alarm for 7 a.m., with the intention of going for a run.

When the alarm started chiming this morning, I cannot say that I was exactly rarin' to go. I ended up lollygagging for another fifteen minutes before getting up and slipping on a pair of black Nike running shorts that I probably haven't worn since forsaking my Crunch membership circa 2004. Next came a pair of short white socks and my ancient-but-still-sturdy pair of New Balance running shoes, which I haven't worn since my last championship game pitching for TIME Magazine's softball team in 2005. Slipping on a white Motorhead shirt (`cos ya know..... gotta be me), my ensemble was complete. It was time to do this.

I decided to forego the iPod. As much as my life is basically ruled by music, I thought this return voyage into the long-dormant realm of my physical fitness should come with as little distraction as possible. Still feeling somewhat ridiculous in my running attire, I slipped out the door and off I went.

I stood on the northeast corner of Washington Square Park and looked west. It still being relatively early, the byways were largely clear of pedestrians or lamentable NYU students (is there any other kind? I kid, I kid). The only other people out were seemingly dog-walkers and members of that elite fellowship I was seeking to join: runners.

I figured I should stretch, but -- honestly -- I didn't really know what stretch to do. I did some stupefyingly rudimentary stretch-approximations for about ten seconds each (this will invariably come back to haunt me this afternoon), and off I went....

I started off at a slow trot. I'm not doing this to break any records or enter any half-decathlons. By the time I reached the Washington Square Arch at the mouth of Fifth Avenue, I was surprised how simple it felt. Though they hadn't hit the pavement in some time, my New Balance kicks were still providing me with a sufficient amount of spring with each step. I was literally off and running.

As I rounded the corner onto Washington Square Park West (a.k.a. MacDougal Street), however, I started to feel it. With each step, I felt the impact. I felt it in my knees. I felt it in my sternum. I felt it in my lamentably curvaceous torso. Each pounding foot on the pavement came with an innard-worrying jolt. I felt my ponderous 185 pounds in each stride. My body was starting to wake up and evidently wasn't fully on-board with my plan.

I didn't want to pause, though. If I could just make a single, complete, unbroken lap of running -- even at this comparatively unhurried pace -- I would consider it a good start. Other people can do it without pausing. Why couldn't I?

Rounding the corner onto the south side of the park (Washgington Square Park South, a.k.a. West 4th Street), I suddenly flashed back to the summer of 1980 at Great Oaks, a sleepaway camp I was sent to in Oxford, Maine. Myself and the other campers were huddled on a dock that extended onto a black, ice cold lake. Our task was to dive into the water, swim to the bottom and grasp a bit of sand or dirt. When we swam back up and broke the surface, we were to vault our hand up and display said dirt, demonstrating that we'd successfully made it to the bottom. When my turn came, I jumped into that forbidding black water, but couldn't seem to successfully propel myself downward. I flailed and fought the disorientation, but I couldn't -- or wouldn't -- make it to the floor of that lake. I gave up too soon and broke the surface with a dramatic gasp, my hands uncontaminated by sand or dirt. "That's going to be a problem, Mr. Smith," said our incongruously portly councilor. I felt ashamed. 34 years later, I still do.

Melodramatic? Maybe, but I wasn't going to give up like that ever again. I was going to complete this full loop without stopping.

By this point, my breath had settled into a nice rhythm, punctuated by an emphatic exhale on every fifth step. As I rounded the last corner onto Washington Square East (which turns into University Place), I felt confident. I was going to make it without stopping.

I'm sure there are droves of you reading this (I should be so lucky to get "droves" of readers) who think this is ridiculously laughable. If my statistics are correct, the perimeter of Washington Square Park only equals half of a mile. If I can't run a half-mile without stopping, how can I face myself?

Well, that's just it. That's why I'm starting this.

I made it back to the spot I started from and yanked back the throttle into a wobbly walk. I'd completed my first run around the park, and was now feeling it all over, especially in my legs. While I was hardly in a dewy glow of a victorious marathoner, I felt a slight twinge of accomplishment. Sure, it's not much, but it's a start.

Let's see if I can do it again tomorrow.

Comments

[andy]

awesome

[URLBrenner]

You mean you need to get 'organazised'...

Personally, I never found running in public to work for me, but that's just me. Don't wanna discourage you from your new phys-ed program. I tried doing laps around Tompkins years ago, but when I work out I want to be around other people that are also working out, and not dodging everyday pedestrians. The other problem is that when it rains your jogs are cancelled, and in the winter? Forget it. Running in 15 degrees, no thanks. I'm not the picture of physical fitness and go through stages at the gym attendance. I'm very good about going for several days or weeks at a time, then I fall off the wagon and don't go at all. When I do go I try to do 50 min of cardio. 25 bike/25 elliptical. Not a fan of running. In terms of weight loss, I've found that working out isn't exclusively the solution. Cutting down on the ice cream and beer might help, even though it sucks to not have it all the time. From what I can see we're roughly the same age and as we know, or from what they tell us, metabolism plays a big part. I believe that because considering what I eat on a daily basis, in my opinion I should be at least 10 pounds lighter...but at this age that no longer applies, maybe if I was 20 years younger that equation would work out. Now, the best I can expect is to just maintain a weight that's not great but not off the charts either. I could still stand to lose 10-15 pounds and I intend to do so...someday, but I also feel if I ate a bowl of steam three times a day all week, I still wouldn't lose weight. Gyms are expensive but I would recommend maybe the YMCA on 14th street. They're clean, not crazy expensive and very kid friendly so you could bring your children with you.

Good luck!

[Randee Dawn]

Starting out you always feel like an idiot. If you're a woman and you start out and it's dark, you can feel a little scared. But you go and you do and you get a little less intimidated as you go. Seriously, get a pedometer if you can and start trying to beat your steps each day. And then, sign up for the first 5K you can. 3 miles is not as awful as you think -- my first one took an hour. My last one, in April, took 30 minutes. And I do maybe 3 a year because I don't really run. Can't wait to hear more. Good for you!

[EV Grieve]

Getting started and into an exercise routine is always the hardest part (at least it was for me). You're off! As Randee said, Good for you!

[Toomey]

Atta boy! Just imagine your running the hills in Granville and it will feel easier tomorrow....keep at it!

[Michael]

Don't go for big improvements. Go for small increases...sometimes (several times) repeat what you did yesterday or the day before ("consolidate"). Avoid injury, take days off (I'm an every other day guy for almost all excercise). Embrace the ego death. Do this thing!

Congratulations on starting!

[Ted Gardner]

#1 - get new shoes, your knees will thank you.

#2 - you don't need to stretch before running.

From WebMD:

Should You Stretch Before Exercise?

Not necessarily. It's not proven to help prevent injury, curb muscle soreness after exercise, or improve your performance.

Static stretching before exercise can weaken performance, such as sprint speed, in studies. The most likely reason is that holding the stretch tires out your muscles.

You should warm up by doing dynamic stretches, which are like your workout but at a lower intensity. A good warm-up before a run could be a brisk walk, walking lunges, leg swings, high steps, or "butt kicks" (slowly jogging forward while kicking toward your rear end).

Start slowly, and gradually ramp up the intensity.
Should You Stretch After Exercise?

This is a great time to stretch.

"Everyone is more flexible after exercise, because you've increased the circulation to those muscles and joints and you've been moving them," Millar says.

If you do static stretches, you'll get the most benefit from them now.

"After you go for a run or weight-train, you walk around a little to cool down. Then you do some stretching. It's a nice way to end a workout," Bracko says.