Just Do It

i often dream that i am running.............weightlessly gliding across the terrain, heartbeat in my ears, effortless. i breathe easily, my stride is long and comfortable.  it feels better than i could ever imagine.

then i wake.

if only i could translate that feeling into my normal day, when i'm actually awake and could use some peace and serenity. i have never LOVED running, but used to do it regularly for exercise and for the quiet it brought to my mind. few things top the feeling when you have finished a long run. the endorphin high lasts forever............

sadly, that endorphin high is akin to the feeling gained after consumption of copious amounts of chocolate. or pizza. or BBQ potato chips. or genoa salami by the handful.......all of which completely counteract most of the benefits from the exercise to begin with.

at any rate, going to the gym and running were a part of my daily routine for years. then came knee surgeries, professional demands, children...........it seemed that the hours of the day became less plentiful as each year went by, and the excuses multiplied faster and faster.

what to do, what to do. how to re-motivate. how to make the time. how to grab that desire again.

honestly, Motivation is all around me. i have friends in abundance, and sisters, who work out regularly, run, go to the gym. they are all so fit and look amazing. if that isn't Motivation, nothing is..............

but there are always excuses. my latest one was The Snow. hard to run when it's freezing, snowy, windy, right? well, those excuses were pathetic this week as the weather actually improved, and much of the snow melted.  to make matters worse, i really can't even use the weather as an exuse.  i own a treadmill.  YES, i do.  it's in my office.  currently its being used as storage for some files boxes, and some clothes that needed to dry.  pathetic actually isn't even the word.  appalling might come closer?

i had to search elsewhere for some of that all-important Motivation.

as is often the case:  SHOPPING!!!!!!  it becomes the cure for all that ails. seriously. i figured that if i had a new pair of running shoes, and some other miscellaneous running THINGS, well certainly i'd feel it necessary to put all to good use. 

sadly, when i started going through all of my "workout gear", and i use those two words very loosely, i discovered these items.

yep.  brand new, tags still attached on all....................

then to make matters worse, much worse actually,  i TOTALLY forgot that i had gotten these when i was supposed to be Christmas shopping for others!

yay for me, i had actually taken them out of the box but, so far, they've only been used for walking into Starbucks and the grocery store (candy aisle of course), as i tried to maintain my strength to get gifts purchased and shipped over the holidays.  hardly the thing that Olympic dreams are made of.  

so, it's back to the drawing board. 

soon i won't have the winter layer of sweaters, vests, and long-sleeves to camouflage the parts that have become...........fleshy.  roundish.  jiggly.

and let's not even venture into swimsuit territory. 

oh.  wait.  I MAY HAVE JUST FOUND THE LAST SLIVER OF MOTIVATION. i really do not want to be mistaken for something mammalian that lives in the ocean.

so.  after i go out and buy some more cool, comfortable and fun things to wear, the workout regime begins in earnest.

really.