The Gym Shoes

When I used to go to the gym regularly - eons and eons ago - I was able to run for a solid 25-30 minutes. It had been so long ago that I kept thinking I used to run at 4.6 mph. So after starting back at the gym, I got back on the treadmill and was surprised at how easily I could run at 4.4 mph... just a few tenths away from where I used to be. Well one night during a late night feeding, it suddenly dawned on me (you'd be surprised what I can figure out at 3:00 am), it wasn't 4.6 mph that I previously ran at, it was 5.6 mph! Crap... that's a huge hit to the ego!

I was already feeling deflated because after my first few visits back to the gym, I had little aches and pains in my legs. I finally determined that I needed a new pair of running shoes since it had been over 2 years since I last bought gym shoes. Sad situation, I know! So armed with my new running shoes, I decided to up the ante last night. I went out on a limb and set the treadmill to 5.0 mph. And amazingly, I was able to run for a solid 20 minutes at that speed. Still a little slow, but not too shabby in my opinion.

As I was running and admiring my stamina, it dawned on me that the difference must be my new running shoes. Remember when you were a kid, and any time you got a new pair of shoes you thought you were the fastest kid on the block. And you'd actually go so far as to challenge other kids in a race. Well, that's what I felt like last night. I was looking at other people on the cardio machines and thought to myself, "I could easily beat them in a race". Sure this may be a juvenile thought, but you do what you gotta do to pass the time on the treadmill. So anyway, at this point, I was about 17 minutes into my run and feeling pretty pumped up. And just when I thought I was the fastest person there, some jerk gets on a treadmill near me and starts running at the speed of light. He had to be going at least 7 mph, if not faster. And just like *that*... I was deflated again. And trust me when I tell you that those last 3 minutes were the hardest and longest 3 minutes I've ever spent on a treadmill.

As I was doing my cool down, I was watching in awe as this guy was hauling butt so effortlessly (and yes, I was also giving him a dirty look every now and then too). And then suddenly, this realization dawned on me... "I am an ill, sleep deprived mom of two boys (three if you count Ben). The fact that I can still drag myself to the gym is a miracle in itself. So to that dude on the treadmill, you should know that you ain't got crap on me!!" And just like that, all was well again.