MARATHON TRAINING

You know what? I do not miss marathon training in the least. Not one iota do I miss having to run/walk predetermined distances on predetermined days. I can tell you that in past years, going back to 1997, much of my every-day, time-line schedule used to be full of strict training schedules. I would live or die by those schedules.  Now I can say goodbye to restrictive training schedules and hello to impromptu bike rides. My time is now my own!

Don’t take me wrong, I’ll assuredly miss event days as I stand in the wings while others participate in fun, rewarding events such as Disney World half marathons and full marathons or the Country Music half or full marathons that precede fabulous country music concerts in downtown Nashville.

I’ll also miss the challenges and having flashy finisher medals draped around my neck after victoriously crossing the finish lines. I’ll miss the starting line anxieties and the camaraderie of fellow runners, but I won’t miss the never-ending training. And I won’t miss my knees seizing up after miles and miles of fast walking and running.

Now that I have ceased running and power walking,  there is no longer a need to set long-distance running and walking goals. Instead, my current goal is to simply walk normal. Bad knees, as you can imagine, do not allow normal walking. Bad knees forbid nearly everything that’s enjoyed in the great outdoors. There is no room in my life for bad knees or bad anything, and that includes my lower back, which has recently been diagnosed with Spinal Stenosis and Spondylosis, not to mention the arthritis.

But things are about to get much better.  

After having received my second of five Hyaluronan knee injections, I am now able to slowly walk to and from our fitness center without grimacing or complaining. That’s a total of one-mile over sidewalks and uneven grassy areas along the bank of the lake. I feel good about my progress. I’ll feel even better when I’m able to again make use of our Disney World season passes – without the thought of being placed in a wheel chair.

On second thought, doesn't the Disney folks place everyone who is disabled at the front of the lines?