This week I celebrated my 48th birthday. The date fell on a weekday, and with our full
schedules, it passed with just enough fanfare.
We had pizza; a SoHo Veggie from Parry’s Pizza. Parry is a fellow Syracuse Alumni. There was chocolate cake.
One of my presents was a book about the 13 day siege of the
Alamo. This will expand my knowledge of
mid 19th century US military history.
The other thing I received was a ‘big box of old’. I have suddenly become very aware of my frailty. It takes me longer to recover. My legs just don’t have the turnover they
used to. The act of swinging my legs
forward, especially my left leg, has become very deliberate, almost
mechanical. I would never describe
myself as a graceful runner, but I feel like I’m running as smoothly as a Greek
factory.
The solution, of course, is to run more. I need to do more speed work. This will teach my body to run more efficiently
at faster speeds. I am still recovering
from the Colfax Marathon and I’m going to ride that excuse as long as I
can.
One of my idols is Jack LaLanne, the apostle for fitness. The man was amazing. In 1984
at age 70, handcuffed, shackled, and fighting strong winds and currents,
he towed 70 rowboats, one with several guests, from the Queen’s Way Bridge in
the Long Beach Harbor to the Queen Mary; about one mile.
One of his more famous quotes is “My workout is my
obligation to life. It is my
tranquilizer. It is part of the way I
tell the truth – and telling the truth is what’s kept me going all these years.”
It’s time for me to face the truth.
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