Running

Since moving to Fort Worth in 2010 I have struggled to meet a few of my goals, or at least to consistently meet them on a continual basis.  One of the goals is that of physical fitness.  As my weight increases and my clothes begin to fit tighter, I am thus strongly encouraged to exercise and to at least lose the inches around my mid-section.  Where I fall short is to carry through this exercise to further lose weight, diminish the inches around my weight, and to tone up existing muscle mass, if not to increase muscle mass simultaneously.  From 2005 to 2006 while living in Houston I was a runner, achieving and maintaining a little over seven minute mile.  (For my then-age group, I thought this was fairly good.)  Fast forward to 2010 through 2015, the main deterrent from picking up the passion of running again is the amount of pain experienced in my knees.  This is possibly due to a combination of increased weight and not stretching my legs as thoroughly.  Now, however, I have recently begun running on the treadmill at the gym.  To my surprise I am not experiencing as much pain in my joints as previously.  This is so exciting as I entertain the prospect of picking up the passion of running once again.  In addition, I discovered the University of Texas in Arlington has an indoor track in their Activities Center.  This was more exciting than the idea of beginning school.  Am I embarking on a new season of life with an old form of exercise?  This excitement has performed wonders on my psyche, my overall mental and emotional health.  Tomorrow is the first day of school for the fall semester, and all I can think about is running on that indoor track.  Is this the motivation I need to make this school a good fit considering all I've been through over this last year and a half?  I am looking very forward to what the future holds as I strive for weight loss and a greatly expanded cardiovascular system.  Thank you God for blessings such as this when something, anything, can help me feel okay with who I am and where I live.

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