Why 2K? An Excursion into Running

You don’t have to be in great physical shape to go riding. But it helps.

I spent most of last week indoors, 24/7. I was at a hotel for a conference, and from 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday until 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, I never left the building.

Over the last year I have gotten into an exercise routine that includes leg curls, crunches, and some upper-body workouts. In the last month I added some boxing. It’s just me and a punching bag, but it’s enough to be an aerobic workout.

This all started in October of last year, out of two objectives. One was the “it’s good for you” concern–exercise because it’s a good thing to do. But the other objective was to have more endurance while riding. I’m happy to say that both objectives have been achieved.

So it was with some concern that I gave up on getting much exercise in during the conference. When Saturday morning came around, I was ready for the 5k run/walk, even though I had not run in 30 years.

Twelve of the conference attendees met in the hotel lobby at the appointed (early) hour. I had no plan for whether I would take on the whole route, or double-back and return part-way through. I expected to walk, not run.

We gathered at the starting line, and took off. To my surprise, I started jogging near the head of the pack. And I stayed there for perhaps half a mile. Then I retreated into a walk some, jog some routine.

All was going well until the halfway point. That’s when some rubbing on my left foot really kicked in. It hurt. A lot. There was a sharp pain on my instep.

After that, I walked, with the occasional jog to get across the street. I thought of taking off my shoes and running in bare feet, or perhaps stocking feet. But the air temperature was about 50, and I figured that the pavement would be pretty cold, too. Plus, I was concerned about stubbing my toe–or doing something worse–on the occasionally uneven sidewalks.

I figured that I would be the last person back to the hotel, and that the organizer would be there waiting for me, making sure that nobody had died along the way.

Instead, I could hear the entire crowd of runners as I ran out the last two or three blocks. When I arrived near the party, they let out a bigger cheer. Someone took some photos of us all, and I sheepishly blamed my slow time on “equipment failure.” I don’t know that anyone believed me.

So what sorts of ailments did I suffer? A blister on my instep. It hasn’t popped, and if I am lucky, it won’t. Though a few people warned me of crushed knees, they feel fine. Oh, I have some soreness in the muscles on the tops of my feet, and my thighs ache the way they used to after I went on 20-mile walks. But overall, I feel fine.

For that, I can credit–or if you will, blame–snowboarding.