Getting to Mile Three

It started when I was traveling in October. The easiest  – and sometimes only – way to workout on the road is the hotel gym, which is typically just a few treadmills and maybe a stationary bike. I haven’t run consistently in a long time, but you gotta work with what you have, so I made it a point to workout at at least 50% of the hotels I was in, knocking out a 5k before whatever worky stuff I had going on that day.

 

And then New Years day I went for a five mile run. (I know, wooo, a whole five miles. Past me – the me that would run ten miles before work on Wednesdays because it was Wednesday and that’s just what you DO on Wednesdays-  is weeping.) But it’s time my body figured out how to run consistently again, and apparently for that to happen you actually have to, you know: run consistently.

So I ran on Jan 1. And then I ran on Tuesday. And then I ran again today. This is a change for me. These days, I hit up Crossfit in the AM and sometimes, if it’s light enough out and I have the time, I’ll take my dog for a run to get him exercise and be outside, but I don’t run-train. Crossfit keeps me in skinny jeans and workyouty friends and running the dog keeps him from driving us batshit crazy, and that’s been enough.

But I miss running. I’m happier when I’m running. Something happens around mile three where my mind and by body synch up and CLICK, BOOM, yes. I know who I am and what I want and what I want at those moments to run forever, to run all the time.

The trick, of course, is getting to mile three. Three miles is nothing when you’re a runner – a drop in the bucket, just the warm up – but when you’re not a runner or you’re a used-to-be-runner getting to three miles might as well be 30. So twice this week I skipped the Crossfit WOD so that I could get my ass on the treadmill and get myself past mile three. Slow and steady on the treadmill, easy pace, time on my feet, time in my head. Six miles Tuesday, four miles today. Nothing in the scheme of things. Past me wouldn’t have even laced up her shoes for “just” four miles a couple of years ago. But I remember how I became a runner: putting running shoes on, and going for a run. And then doing it again the next day. So. That’s what I’ve been doing this week. Putting my shoes on, and going for a run. Getting myself past mile three. It feels so good, you guys.

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I Ardently Admire and Love You For Reasons That Are Completely Unexplained in the Movie Version

I’ve written ‘round these parts about how many times I have tried and failed to read Pride and Prejudice, and finally my mom was like “oh for Christ’s sake, just see the movie”, and at her suggestion we sat down last Christmas (well: last last Christmas – Christmas 2011) to watch the Keira Knightly version.

It was fine. Good story. Kind of a ripoff of Bridget Jones’ Diary, if you ask me, but still pretty good (…that’s a joke, you guys.) But here’s my thing: the message in this story is totally whacked. My main take-away (and, again: haven’t read the book, only saw the movie and not the “real” movie with Colin Firth which is apparently the be all end all of things that are good in this world but rather saw the fake, other one) is that this girl goes out of her way to dismiss and be rude to this guy and he gets over it and loves her anyway because she is just that awesome.

You guys. That’s not a good lesson. That’s not a good lesson at all. I once heard the advice “if you want to be loved, be lovable” and like: yeah. That. Most of us cannot expect our wonderfulness to shine through for all the Darcys to see if we’re actively going out of our way to be horrible. Don’t do that. Don’t be horrible and expect people to love you anyway. It might have worked with Mr. Darcy but he’s taken, and also dead. Be lovable to those you want to love you.

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