Change of Pace
Monday morning I did something I didn't think I would do again ... I ran for a train.
I lamented my recent bout with a cold, flu, whatever a couple days ago ... BTW, it cleared up by Monday ... and mentioned a few previous injuries, but I forgot all about tearing my quadricep muscle in my leg a couple years ago. It was plenty painful when it happened, along with the concommitant need to inject myself daily with anti-coagulants to break up any clots that might form. Aside from the fact that I couldn't walk for a couple of weeks and had trouble descending stairs for nearly a year, I pretty much didn't notice it ... except for the fact that I could not run. In fact, I had resigned myself to the sad fact that if I ever indeed had to make a run for my life, I was surely a dead man.
It didn't help that I had put on a few pounds over the past several years. Well, it seems that all of the golfing (walking) and bicycling I had done over the past year actually paid off ... to steal a phrase from Jen, I lost a Kylie over the summer. I could still afford to lose another. But some good had been done.
I was late for the train, oddly enough, because the first suit I put on was far too baggy. So, I decided to try on a suit I had not squeezed into since I had moved to Germany, with all of its starch laden, sauce covered foods. I could actually wear it. Good news, I guess, since it was a very nice suit from my New York days, when I had more dollars than sense. On the flip side, I seem to have a lot of nice clothes that are far too large now. It's a problem I can live with.
But having taken the time to model my old wardrobe, I used up most of the time I had to get to the Bahn this morning, and I had committed my car to the Partnerin, whose own car was going in for servicing.
So as I struggled to get the ticket machine to accept my fiver as legit currency, the S-bahn was pulling into the station ... miss that and all the other connections are screwed and then I am an hour late. So I thought, let's do this, and started running for the train. And I could run. I tried this a few months back, and the leg still would have none of it over more than a dozen meters. Today it worked.
Good to know that I can run for my life if I have to.
I lamented my recent bout with a cold, flu, whatever a couple days ago ... BTW, it cleared up by Monday ... and mentioned a few previous injuries, but I forgot all about tearing my quadricep muscle in my leg a couple years ago. It was plenty painful when it happened, along with the concommitant need to inject myself daily with anti-coagulants to break up any clots that might form. Aside from the fact that I couldn't walk for a couple of weeks and had trouble descending stairs for nearly a year, I pretty much didn't notice it ... except for the fact that I could not run. In fact, I had resigned myself to the sad fact that if I ever indeed had to make a run for my life, I was surely a dead man.
It didn't help that I had put on a few pounds over the past several years. Well, it seems that all of the golfing (walking) and bicycling I had done over the past year actually paid off ... to steal a phrase from Jen, I lost a Kylie over the summer. I could still afford to lose another. But some good had been done.
I was late for the train, oddly enough, because the first suit I put on was far too baggy. So, I decided to try on a suit I had not squeezed into since I had moved to Germany, with all of its starch laden, sauce covered foods. I could actually wear it. Good news, I guess, since it was a very nice suit from my New York days, when I had more dollars than sense. On the flip side, I seem to have a lot of nice clothes that are far too large now. It's a problem I can live with.
But having taken the time to model my old wardrobe, I used up most of the time I had to get to the Bahn this morning, and I had committed my car to the Partnerin, whose own car was going in for servicing.
So as I struggled to get the ticket machine to accept my fiver as legit currency, the S-bahn was pulling into the station ... miss that and all the other connections are screwed and then I am an hour late. So I thought, let's do this, and started running for the train. And I could run. I tried this a few months back, and the leg still would have none of it over more than a dozen meters. Today it worked.
Good to know that I can run for my life if I have to.
posted by Mike B at 10/24/2006 12:03:00 AM
4 Comments:
Yay!
Right now due to enforced down time due to the eye surgery I can't exercise at all. It stinks because I am waaaaaaay out of shape. I sure need to get going before ski season!
I have to run for the trams quite often in Frankfurt. When I still smoked and before I started getting fitter, this type of activity nearly killed me; and it was never fun being the bright red faced wheezing person on the tram! Nowadays it isn't a problem :)
Maribeth: I should have read the back issues of your blog to catch up. Hope the recovery is coming along.
Haddock: So, you were the red-faced guy!
I hate that "I'm missing a train/bus/plane" feeling. Its the worst.
I have frequently thought about being the slowest gazelle in the herd. It's not a good feeling. The only time i thought i had a chance was when a friend of mine was pregnant. She was a lot slower than I was. Good thing its never been tested.
Since getting fitter, slimmer and quitting smoking a year ago, its a lot better.
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