On the way home for lunch, I ever-so-gently jogged, lightly, for about fifteen steps. Then I went back to walking.
Let me explain why this is important. I was never a runner. I played sports, but usually stuff that didn't require extended periods of running. A big part of this was because I was fat and was very embarrassed. Later, I started smoking, which gave me an excuse (albeit a stupid one) not to run.
Then last year I had a stroke. I know I keep going on about this, but I spent three weeks in the hospital progressing from being able to sit up in bed to being able to stagger down the hall to the restroom to being able to make my way down some stairs with the aid of a cane.
At first, the doctors weren't sure how much walking I would be doing in future. I went on a strict diet and started hitting the gym, building upper-body and core strength. I used the stationary bikes at the gym for cardio. After a few months, I was able to ride my bike outside again, as I got my balance back.
But I couldn't run, for some reason. There was some sort of signal disconnect between my brain and my right hip; whenever I started to try and break into a trot, the lag time was just enough that my right leg wouldn't get the news in time and I would stumble.
Finally, last summer, I decided I'd had enough. I had managed to overcome all the other stuff going on, and now I was going to run. I bought the C25K app and just started doing what it said. I would walk when it said walk, and run when it said run.
I got to the point where I was running a solid thirty kilometers a week, and I really enjoyed it. What's more, I'm pretty sure that running saved my life last winter, when I was going through one of the most profound depressive episodes of my entire life.
When I'm running, I don't have to think about anything else. (I'm not one of these guys who can listen to music or a podcast while I run; I need to be aware of my surroundings.) I can burn off whatever craziness and anxiety has built up in my system, and burn off a bunch of calories as well.
I can't run this week, because my leg is injured and it needs a little more time to heal. It's coming along nicely, though. But I needed to know that I'm going to still be able to do this, and move forward.
A dozen or so steps seems like an okay start, I guess.
