RUN FORREST RUN

I'm not a runner. I never really have been. I have dreams where I run fast and free without ever needing to catch my breath...those dreams are the best.

I'm currently in the process of trying to build up my cardio. I've always wanted to be able to jog/run at least 5 miles. Yes, that is how much of a not-runner I am. I think the most I've ever jogged straight through for was 20 minutes. And that was when I was taking Tae Kwon Do pretty hardcore. I had to build up to that. 2 miles in 20 minutes. That is as far as I've gone. I know people who run 5 miles as a warmup or just "on their off days".

My plan is to jog every other day while I'm in Maine and get up to the point of being able to go for 30 minutes comfortably...and 60 minutes without dying. I'll figure out how far that is later.

I went today for 10 minutes. Thanks to my iPod I put two 5 minute songs right after a 3 minute song. I walked for the first song. Jogged for the second. Turned around at the third, and walked once that song ended. I say "thanks" because I searched my entire music library by 'time' to find songs of the right length. Normally when I jog I'm a vicious clock watcher and my spirit breaks. Today, the jog wasn't that bad.

I can remember my dad going for jogs starting in the summer, and ending in the summer. He was in the Army Reserves. They had summer camp and he would jog to get in shape for them. This is when I was a kid. I remember going with him once and stopping way before him.

To give you an idea of how I wasn't built for running...

In grade school during the Reagan administration we had to do these 6-lap runs (1.5 miles I believe) once a year. They never really prepped us for them, they just happened. Not once did I ever do all 6 laps. Always 5 (maybe 4 once). With all of those kids out there at the same time it was hard for the Gym teacher (Mr. G) to keep track. He'd ask us which lap we were on each time around. I was clever enough to know that after lap three, came five, and then six. It made sense because I was finishing up my fifth lap about the same time the entire world was done with their sixth.

I am built for speed walking though. In college we did a mile walk one day, and a mile jog the next. We could speed walk, the teacher made it clear we couldn't jog on the first day, but speed walking was fine. So I did. I walked the mile in 8 minutes 55 seconds. The teacher let two guys jog until they caught up to me.

The next class? I jogged the mile in 13 minutes.