Today is the last day of 2011. Today is when I finally came to the conclusion that running and/or race walking are no longer a part of my exercise repertoire. Too many issues with the knees and back have forced me into runner’s retirement.
I dreaded the day when I would be forced to become a non-runner. Eliminating a passion in life is not always easy to accept. I’m handling it well, however. I have graciously accepted my new role as supporting husband while Janet continues to run/walk.
Looking back, though, I wished that I would have dropped out of running voluntarily instead of when injuries forced the issue. But you know we runners, we simply do not listen to our bodies until it’s too late to reverse the accrued damage.
They say that the best way to accept a loss is to replace that loss with something else as soon as possible, and that’s exactly what I’ve managed to do.
Road cycling, another passion of mine, has completely taken the place of running, jogging, race-walking or whatever you call what I was doing during the waning days of my storied running career.
Unlike running, biking is not damaging to the skeletal frame. Even though I’ve biked nearly 4,000 miles during 2011, I feel no ill effects of pedaling multiple miles while sitting in the saddle of an expensive road bike. Quite the contrary!
In closing, I look back with pride at all that I’ve accomplished during my running pastime. From local 5K’s to out-of-town marathons, it’s all been good.
Between my wife and me, we have five shoe boxes full of finisher’s medals accrued over the past 18 years. And then there is our brag wall where our last two years of medals are boastfully displayed. They hang as a constant reminder of our personal triumphs, countless good times and new-found friends.
I have no regrets!
No comments:
Post a Comment