A couple of days ago, I thought I heard something coming from the coat closet in our entryway.  I stopped what I was doing and stood very still for a moment to make sure. Ears straining, I listened intently.  There it was again. I had the strangest sense of déjà vu; this was a sound I haven’t heard in months: My running shoes were calling to me.

Before I got fat and lazy, and then fatter and lazier, I used to fancy myself a runner. I ran a number of 5k races, some 10ks, a 10-miler once, a half-marathon and, way back in my youth (well, 1997), I actually did a full marathon.  But the last race I did was in November 2013 and the last time I did any running at all was in June of this year.

So, having heard the siren song of my shoes again, I did what anyone would do: I buried them deeper in the closet under a blanket.

But then, I heard their call again this morning and did something unimaginable: I decided to go for a run.

As I haven’t done any running in quite a while, I decided to take this run indoors on the treadmill so I could watch my progress.

Workout gear on, shoes laced, I reintroduced myself to my old friend, the Treadmill.  After a brisk walk to warm up, I reset the treadmill computer to 00:00 and eased into a jog.  I was amazed at how quickly I fell into the old rhythm again. It was magical! My breathing was steady, feet doing their thing one right after the other, and I was in the zone.

Keeping myself mentally engaged while working out has always been an issue for me, but not this time. I had visions of signing up for fall 5k races and started entertaining the thought of training for a spring half marathon. I couldn’t believe my endurance and stamina after such a long hiatus from running!  I was running again; I could almost feel the pounds melting away.  I was sure the other gym-goers were watching in awe and amazement at how long this fat lady was able to run.  I felt like a rock star.

After a little while, my face was dripping with sweat, my heart was pounding and my lungs were begging for a reprieve, so I slowed way down and decided to walk for the remainder of my workout.

I quickly looked down at the time/minute tracker on the treadmill computer so I would have a benchmark for next time’s run, and was flabbergasted by how long I had managed to run on this first time back at it:

00:48.

Maybe I can make it for an entire minute next time.

And, if I can’t, I’ll just keep putting one foot in front of the other until I can.  😉