On Visions and Jogging

Anyone who has met me in the last (almost) four years since I left active service in the Marine Corps would be surprised that I used to be in excellent shape, had very little body fat, and for most of my time in the Corps, could run three miles in less than 24 minutes. (My personal best is 19:58.) It has been no secret to anyone who's met me in the past eight years that I dislike running. Like really hate running.

It is with no little surprise that I found myself in a very vivid dream in which I could feel what it used to be like to enjoy running in the hour before needing to get up for work. In it, I could feel what it was like to be a young man of 17-21, a much lighter body pumping fluidly, and the not-unfamiliar and not-unpleasant burning in my lungs. With this vision nagging me, and seeing that my sneakers were not up to the task, I purchased new running shoes and went for a jog before dinner. After running around a few blocks (just over a mile according to Google Earth) I've discovered this truth:

Visions are Bullshit.

Ok, that's a little harsh, and quite unfair. When I last could tolerate running I was carrying about 60 lbs. less than I am now, and had sustained significantly less wear-and-tear. Oh, and I haven't run in about four years.

In reality, I feel more like Tony Stark in the Iron Man movie after his suit fails and subsequently crash lands in the desert. He lifted his head, said "Not Bad", and then passed out. (It certainly wasn't a "Yea. I can fly." experience...)

I'm expecting that I'm going to be in a fair amount of pain tomorrow, but I like to think that I'll keep this up somewhat.

-Waldo