Fitness update: Long over-due!

I've slowed down my training dramatically and think it's time to step things up. It's been about 18 months since the end of my marriage, and by what I learned from the movie Sideways, I've still got about six months to go before I can be considered to be fully over it. And, as I seem to share tendencies with that film's main character, I suppose I have to at least see that through.

And the way I did this, as I've explained, has been through exercise. For the first year, I didn't feel bad at all about taking time off from work when I needed. Gold's Gym was the center of that. I ran entirely on the treadmill for three months, building up my strength before that fateful day I ran my first 5K race. I also lifted weights, and saw a change in my body fairly quickly.

Sadly, the weight training has totally dropped out of the routine, and I need to get it back in there.

I've been much busier of late, with much less time. Charlottesville Tomorrow is very demanding, and I've been working up to four nights a week at Court Square Tavern. Because of that, I've only been able to manage around 17 miles a week the last month or so. I'm pretty much a slug on the weekends.

I've taken some of that time to work on other pursuits, like gardening.

In a way, this has been a great thing for me, learning to wait patiently for something to grow, but only with careful nurturing and constant attention. These plants grew from seedlings germinated on my kitchen table. I've begun to cook all kinds of squash, and I look forward to some sort of a squash-tomato pesto feast.


Oh, such power in the simple act of putting a seed of DNA into the right place and creating the right environment so it can grow! Of course, there have also been mistakes which have led to some disasters, such as a total failure of my cilantro, chives, lettuce and cucumber.

Even there a lesson: Don't overextend yourself, but there's another season to learn how.

So, tomorrow or Wednesday I hope to go to the gym for the first time in about two months. I'm not really ashamed, but think it's time now to devote to other fitness efforts.

I've decided I'm not going to train to run a marathon this year. I'm simply not going to have the time. I also need to not have running fully dominate my life, as I have other things I need to attend to as well. I'd like to reclaim some of my exercise time for other pursuits.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a garden to take care of.