thirty-five years of running

Me 33 years ago after losing a race to a co-worker. I should have made it a 5K instead of a mile as I have endurance, not speed whereas my co-worker was the opposite. Also, I had run a marathon the week before and had not recovered as I know I could have run a 6 minute mile in those days, which still probably wasn't enough to win versus 6:30. Now I couldn't run that fast for 10 feet. Sadly this co-worker is now dead crashing on his bike on a very steep hill, which I don't forget as I plunge down hills myself

The top 3 photos were taken by my niece who has many photos from her recent trip to Taiwan. Perhaps I could go with my sister-in-law someday and take my own photos? She goes at least once a year.

Thirty-five years ago I was returning to work after having Josh. I had just given up nursing, which theoretically should have been a weight loss opportunity but as usual, I use any excuse to gain weight. Usually I swam laps to keep fit but with 2 babies, I didn't have much time. Self disgust was sinking in. We worked on top of a hill. Perhaps instead of eating lunch, I would run down the hill towards the river and then walk up.

Yeah anyone can run down a hill, this same co-worker said.

Soon I was huffing and puffing up the hill walking a bit on the steepest section. Then I started running around the track after work to measure exactly how far I was going. After 5 weeks, I had worked up to 5 miles at a time and entered my first 10K. The running team was going to do a race in the Irish Hills. Didn't like the sound of 'hills' so I opted to do the Ann Arbor -Dexter race, 6.2 miles to the cider mill in the river valley (fairly flat but slightly uphill; the reverse of the much more popular Dexter-Ann Arbor race). I figured I'd have to walk the last half mile but I pressed onward finishing in an hour. A year later, I could do it 14 minutes faster. I almost didn't do the race because I thought it was too cold, 45 degrees, which is what it was when I took off early this morning. I didn't realize how much heat I can generate running.

I thought I would run until all the excess weight was gone, which did come off fairly quickly but then I discovered I was good at running and was winning my age group often despite not having a runner's body. I did my first marathon 2 years after I started being lucky to finish under 4 hours (by 2 minutes). I got faster at that too.

So I have been running or doing some kind of motion that I told myself was running even though it was barely faster than a walk during the Decade Of Obesity since then. I had to switch to swimming for the last 2.5 months of being pregnant with Naomi, I had to take another month off due to having thyroid storm with severe Grave's Disease. I tried to run during chemo but was losing more and more red blood cells so I quit while I was taking taxol. I also could not run when I had a broken arm for 3 months or barely walk as motion was so painful.(more reasons for obesity)

I am now thin but still I am slow. Yeah I am in my sixties but I think my form is bad. I will try to improve.

The last weekend of summer. Sigh. All the kids and their kids will come here Monday and then off to school the next day. Later in the week Steve's brother and sister-in-law are visiting, which should be fun though one of the days I will be visiting my aunt who I haven't seen in 5 years. She is my mom's youngest sister versus the oldest one that I have seen more regularly.

My long time doctor has retired this month before I could have one last physical. I had to find a new doctor carefully reading their biographies. Hopefully the young woman I chose will be a good match . Bonus, the office is 4 miles away versus 15. Naomi's and Maya's insurance was mysteriously cut-off so she had to re-apply. We worried if Maya would be able to get her expensive medicine she is so dependent on. Yes, fortunately. Insurance better be re-instated before the end of this month though. She will have to skip her therapy sessions though. Not too sorry about that as I think they are fairly useless.

Who gets a mani-pedi on a Saturday night? Apparently no-one so a discount is offered. Also wine is included. Well that's where I will be.