OK maybe running isn't quite the best description especially since I am mostly running/jogging on trails but who would have thought that after 20 years of hating running (and that's an understatement) while in the Navy I am finding trailrunning soo much fun. This all started last fall when I decided that after 4 years the screws in my ankle were still annoying me. Removal isn't an option as recovery from that is a year of minimal exercise/stress which means I couldn't even swim or ride a bike. So the only other choice is to start exercising it. Cycling while great exercise does nothing for the bundle of mixxed up nerves in my lower leg and neither does swimming no impact so the joint doesn't get stressed. I bought a pair of running shoes on a whim and started walking, just me and the dog, not really recording the miles just spending an hour or soo wandering the town. Before Xmas I started to run on the road with the dog which she really liked but my hamstrings and calves were screaming. So on a whim I took the dog out to one of her favorite hikes from when I was learning to walk again 4 years ago and we went for a run there. Well other than the fact that what I thought of as good shape turns out to be mediocre, my legs are much happier, not to mention the dog is ecstatic every time we head out now. There is no question I am slow and trail running is slow going even for a fast person. I got a chance to run this morning with a 2 legged person, an old friend from highschool who runs religiously and was able to match her pace for 2.5 miles of very technical trails. That makes me feel good (though she went out for another lap when I was done), showing her a new place to run was also nice as she admitted that most of her spots are feeling stale. The nice thing about trailrunning is that while the miles are nice its really the time running and the scenery that make it so much fun.


Two Replies to Seriously I am running...

Scott Hardie | January 22, 2013
It's good that you're getting out there and enjoying the trail. I have quite a few runner friends who routinely share photos of the wildlife they spot every weekend morning, so I understand what you mean about the value of the scenery.

Tony Peters | January 22, 2013
yeah a lot of the places I am now running are places that I used to hike on the weekends so I know them almost as well as my local streets. Once it warms up I will likely see more wildlife, not much out there now. Of course watching my dog run thought the woods is also highly entertaining.


vagabond-punk

The musings of Tony Peters, a perpetual child, no matter where I am I will find a way to climb something or go skateboarding Read more »

Driving in europe.

OK one of the more enjoyable part of my job is the fact that I get to drive overseas. Part of this is due to the fact that I have had an international diving permit for 7 years now and another part is that I am actually used to driving on the wrong side of the road. (3 years in Japan). Go »

Magical Mystery tour

well the news today when I got to work was that my holidays will be abbreviated...New Years in Cypress and bowl games in Spain...Getting to Cypress will be easy though it involves flying through Heathrow (my least favorite airport)...it's Go »

Beyond annoying...

well I'm officially retired now, sorta looking for a job but content to work in and around the house for a bit. My one task that I need to accomplish is to complete my VA claim and boy is that annoying....I have my medical record all 5 inches of it and I have to prove each issue that I am claiming and when I first had it treated....this Go »

Oh what a day

After spending the morning cleaning and setting up for a visit from my inlaws (looking forward to that being over) I spent the afternoon Downhill skateboarding with a bunch of guys...life is so simple with a bit of speed. I'm the 4th guy to enter the screen, Black shirt, Blue helmet, Pink wheels trying to stay in the draft of the two kids in a tight draft train. Go »

And a happy New Year to you all

A few things I found in the news when I got back from skateboarding this morning Do you doggy? she doesn't Banned words Go »

starwars up close

OK I have what is called closed angles in my eye's which although I have no symptoms is considered a precursor to glaucoma...I've known this for a couple of years and since my maternal grandfather had glaucoma and my father has the same problem with his eyes I've really just been putting off having corrective surgery since I returned from Japan 2 years ago. What this means is that the eye's drains which are behind the iris are not as open as they should be which can lead to increased fluid pressure in the eye and posible damage to the optic nerve, or so they tell me. Go »