“Running: my sport is your sport’s punishment”.
(Funny running quotes)
Took me a little time to fully understand what being a runner truly means. I started getting serious about running when I moved to Oviedo, Florida from Bonaire, Georgia.
I ran in Georgia because I was still in the Air Force and needed to maintain my cardio fitness to ensure I completed our annual fitness test. I was always in shape but focused on football, basketball and weightlifting while in the Air Force. I signed up for an occasional 5k but never really trained for them—just showed up and ran. I also had NO idea how important the correct shoes can be in this sport.
Now, back to the quote above. I played football, basketball, and baseball back in the high school days. I transitioned to flag football, basketball, softball and weightlifting during my time in the Air Force. Coaches in both worlds routinely assigned RUNNING as a motivational tactic or punishment depending on how they felt. A missed assignment in football was punished by running a lap or two around the track. A missed free throw in basketball was punished by unlimited ‘down and backs’ on the basketball court. An error in baseball or softball got a lap around the field to regain your focus. So, as you can see, the quote above rings true in more ways than one. 😊
Fast forward to today and punishment from my younger days is something I routinely leave my house to accomplish, for fun! The therapeutic benefits have been amazing also.
Running has taken on a large part of my Walk into the Future, and I do not see it diminishing anytime soon. I got into running later in life, so I am blessed to not have run related injuries that limit my ability to get my miles in. I also know the importance of nutrition and stretching so make sure I take care of my body before, during and after my runs.
Another fun fact about my running program is I bring my running gear whenever I travel in case I can sneak a run in. Sometimes I never get a chance to break out my gear but want to be ready.
My work with the Central Florida Employment Council (CFEC) back in May brought me back to the Orlando area and the large trail systems available there. My event with CFEC was on a Friday afternoon so I decided to hang out in Oviedo after the event so I could get up on Saturday morning and run the Seminole Cross Trail while in the area. Yes, you read that right—Inspiration Man made a point to get a run in while in town making a difference.
I love the Seminole Cross Trail because it has visible mile markers and most of the trail is shaded. I made sure I got out early because I wanted to beat the Central Florida heat and still have time to enjoy time in Oviedo.
There was a lot of activity on the trail with bikers, walkers and runners sharing the trail. I made a point to wave and say hello to everyone I saw on the trail. My Fort Pierce runs do not provide many opportunities to see many folks during my runs, so it was great seeing others out enjoying the morning on the trail.
A first for me was seeing someone riding a unicycle on the trail. Guess I only thought people rode unicycles as part of a circus act but this guy rode by me at a good pace. I was impressed with the ability to balance and ride a unicycle while avoiding people on a busy trail. Started to wonder if I could ride one of those things. Running provides time to think about stuff. 😊
I was able to complete a quick 6 mile run on the trail before it got too hot—not bad considering I was there for an event.
I look forward to leveraging the Seminole Cross Trail more as I ramp up my half marathon training. I plan to get back into racing later in the year and need to start getting long runs in again.
My run gear bag remains packed, and I am ready to keep logging miles. Each run brings me closer to 1,000 training miles for the year.
How many miles have you logged this year? Let’s get busy!
“Running helps me maintain my ‘never killed anyone’ streak”.
(Pinterest)
Walk Into the Future 