A well constructed plan!

April 26, 2013 by Madhu 10 Comments

(I just hope I am not saying this too early.) The weather is finally warming up. After many months of cold weather, it’s the much-anticipated change. My feet are itching to step out and do something interesting.

Let me think! There are many choices for me. Especially on a lovely day like today

• I can take a walk (Yeah that’s what I would do on a normal day.)
• I can shop spring clothes (Nah, I don’t think my husband would be very happy when he sees his credit card bill. I started my spring shopping even before the winter got over.)
• I can go to the park and read a book (Well I don’t have to go to the park to read a book. I can’t sleep with the book over my face in the park, like I do at home or even the library as a matter of fact.)
• I can catch up with a friend over a cup of coffee (Well, it’s not so simple. I have to call her up, make a plan, drive down, wait for her, buy a not-so-tasty-disappointing coffee, guilty eat a piece of rich cake, tip the not-so-efficient waiter, drive back home. Yes, I know it’s too complicated!!)
• I can sit in the corner place in the mall and watch people walk with bags full of new stuff (Now that seems like an interesting idea!!)
• I can play with the children next door. (Hmmm.. that’s tricky. I don’t want their mother to think that the little girl was crying because of me!)
• I can open all the kitchen windows, play my favorite music and try a new dish. Bake a fluffy cake, maybe. The aroma would fill the house. (But I’ll stop myself at imagining that, because I am still not over that disastrous cake I baked two days ago. As a matter of fact, all my cakes have been disastrous.)

After contemplating all these choices, I am still undecided. I am not so happy with these options. None of it supports the mood I am in today. I want something more.

Or… wait a minute… I have one more option that I did not think about. I can remove my year old brand new track pants from the closet, dust it, wear my worn out yet faithful sneakers and go for a run!! Yay!! Now that sounds like a plan!

I used to be an athlete few years ago. So it shouldn’t be that difficult right. But the only tiny problem is that, I was an athlete when I was ten (now when I say it, it feels like stone age). These days I don’t like running and the truth is I don’t have the stamina to run. And that’s why I hate it.

Now you know the reason why my new track pant has been collecting dust. :-). When ever I want to try and run, I start imagining things. You know, real things! Things like

• What if I trip and fall flat on my face? I would break my already crooked teeth and then I would lose the remotest possibility to fix it.
• What if the bicycle guy hits me? No no, not the car. Remember, I am not running in the middle of the road.
• What if I come face to face with a Boa Constrictor in the sidewalk, freeze on my feet and forget how to run? It will kill me for sure.
• What if a hand crawls up from my stomach, through my chest, reaches out to my throat and chokes me to death? In reality that’s how I feel when I run. 😦

Well there are endless things I can imagine, to not run. But this time I am determined. I’ve signed up (and my husband) for a Marathon in June. I’ve decided to train my body & mind and run the entire distance in the marathon. I’ll train everyday, starting today, right now. It doesn’t matter how many Boa Constrictors I encounter. I am sure you are able to see the conviction in my words. I can see it myself.

I know few people who run everyday. They tell me it’s not that big a deal once I reach that threshold of choking and that I can do it easily everyday. I’ve decided to trust them and dive in headfirst. Who can guess? I can even win the marathon. 🙂

Now that I know what I want to do and how to do, I am very proud of myself and fully energetic. But you know, before I go for my day 1 run, I want to take a shower, have lunch, take a cozy afternoon nap, have a cup of coffee with an evening snack, make something interesting for dinner….. Oh God, I think I will rest today and run tomorrow!!