Next month my wife and I will be participating in the Predators Fangtastic 5K, a race to benefit the Predators Foundation. It is a run or walk event, as most charity events are. We decided that our plan would be to do a little of both, but mostly run. For the past two Sundays, we have ventured out to Moss-Wright Park in Goodlettsville to tackle its trails. I was fairly convinced that I would be able to run most of the circuit, only slowing down on occasion to catch my breath before sprinting again.
Wrong.
Perhaps it was the temperature in the low 40s. Perhaps it was frustration that my iPhone kept changing songs mid-stride to something not even on that particular playlist. Maybe it was the shoes. More than likely, it was the simple truth that comes as a bit of a disappointment: no matter how much energy you think you have, your body will make the ultimate decision as to whether it has been properly conditioned for running. Mine has not. It does not matter that I have a habit of taking stairs two or three at a time, or that only a few years ago I would sprint to places on campus just to burn off some pent-up energy. That does not mean that I am in any sort of physical condition to run a race on a whim.
I still intend to run most of the race, but I will likely fall back into the walking crowd faster than I want to. A Sunday afternoon for a month is not going to make it much better, but it is the only time I have to give until the sun stops setting before 6 p.m. I need to take the nurse practitioner's advice and go in for a physical; something that I have not had since I was a camp counselor five summers ago.
In lighter news, our social calendar is actually full for the next week. It is a pleasant change of pace from our usual aimless wandering around Nashville.