Oct

16

One foot in front of the other and you keep on going…

Filed Under Babbling, Health and Exercise, The history of me 

About a week back, I started jogging. Monday the 6th, to be exact. To be honest, I had been mad and I just went running. And I ended up jogging about 2.8 miles. It wasn’t that hard, just one foot in front of the other and I kept on going. On Wednesday, I added a little and did 3.2 miles. I tracked my numbers on WalkJogRun.net by putting in the routes that I was running. Friday? I did something that I didn’t think I’d ever do. I said “Fuck it” and added another solid mile to that. I did 4.3 miles in about an hour. That’s something I definitely never imagined I’d do.

Back in elementary school at John D. Floyd Elementary School, we used to do the Presidents Physical Fitness test. I think that every kid sort of hated this. Sure, it was supposed to tell you that you either were in or out of shape. And part of it that I always hated? The mile run. Three times around the bus loop. When you’re 8 years old, a mile is a long long distance. Just think of the many miles you take on any sort of trip and every single one where you’re asking your parents “Are we there yet?” Well, how about now?

So I just ran. I was reading on Mike Garrigan’s site a while back about his training for a marathon, and when you read the numbers, you don’t really think of how far it is. Like, for example, I know its 5.5 miles for me to travel from home to work. I can’t imagine running that yet. Much less there and back. And yet? I plan on it some day soon. Why? Because I can.

And tonight, I had a moment that made me feel like its about time to share this little victory with my friends. Last week I did 14 miles. So far this week? I’ve done 11 miles. And I feel damn happy with that.

I passed the 2 mile point and a guy jogged past me. I finished the walking in-between, and I went back to jogging and passed him. About a minute later, I feel a tap on my left shoulder just above my iPod. The guy had jogged back up, and I pop out an ear bud.
“Where you runnin’ to?”
I pant out of breath, “Down here, Lincoln to Florida, back around to First and south down that”
“Man, that’s cross country length!”
“I never ran this much before, so I’m damn proud of anything I do.”
“You need to get some running clothes.”
I laugh, thinking how I look in my fro, jogging in black sweat/athletic pants and my white senior sweatshirt from Springstead High school. “Once I’m no longer a fat-ass, I’ll get me some good digs.”
He laughs, and we continue jogging side-by-side for another minute and he split between the residence halls between Pennsylvania and Florida.

For me? That compliment was worth everything to me. From a complete stranger.

And as to running? I’ll just keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep on going…

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    About The Site


    Thanks for stopping by, folks! My name is Adam J. Cohen, and I'm a guitarist/songwriter in Champaign, IL, recently relocated from Orlando, FL where I'm a UCF grad. Here, you'll find vignettes on my life, setlists from open mics and reviews, and whatever else crosses my mind. Enjoy!