Lane 8 In Fancy Hotel?

Okay, so yesterday was a video of Jack the Bear in Mexico.  And today we find Jack in Dallas (different trip) at a nice place.

It was 20 degrees the next morning and I found the willpower to run outside at 7:00AM.  I used a pair of socks for gloves and had four layers on my upper body.

No sweatpants though, which took me back to the winter days in Pennsylvania, when a few of us would run distance runs in the snow and freezing temps, sans sweatpants.

Even found the willpower to do a core workout in the Hotel gym the night before, even though I was tired from travel.

So, here’s Jack commenting on where we stayed:

Yes it was a fancy hotel. And yes, Jack watched TV while I worked out and also when I ran in 20-degree temps. Not only is he one lucky bear, but he’s also very smart.

3 Simple Exercise Tips

Three simple exercise tips we can all do to make exercise a more important part of our lives:

  1. Commit to it for a lifetime
  2. Do it for someone else
  3. Try to have fun on your journey

Simple.  But simple doesn’t mean easy.  Most likely, whatever you want to accomplish with your health and exercise goals, is well, impossible. Which is perfect.  Carpe diem.

On The Run?

Not as in running, jogging, sprinting.  On the run as in a hurry.

Spent four days in Anchorage, Alaska and did not exercise.  Not by choice.

Got back late last night early this morning.  There is no exercising this morning either.  Five straight days without exercise.  I feel the pain of everyone who struggles to make physical wellness a priority.

There is no easy way.

Well, actually, there is an easy way – simply don’t worry about it until the phone rings, “Excuse me, it’s for you.  It’s your wake up call”.

Can Barely Walk

Last night I could barely walk.  Foot pain.  Left heel.  Why?  Not sure.

Some of you know I represented the United States at the 2009 Masters Track & Field World Championships in Lahti, Finland.  The first week of August seems like so long ago, when in fact, it wasn’t.  Since then, I’ve completely tapered off on training. Completely.

So why the pain?

What is amazing to me, and something I tried to hide in the Lane 8 blog posts before traveling to Finland, is that I was actually able to compete at all.

“Then why put yourself through all this”?, is a common question.  Roger Bannister, the first human to break the four-minute mile barrier, said it best:

“I sometimes think that running has given me a glimpse of the greatest freedom a man can ever know, because it results in the simultaneous liberation of both the mind and body…..  The runner does not know how or why he runs.  He only knows that he must run…..  We run, not because it is doing us good, but because we enjoy it and cannot help ourselves”. — Roger Bannister 1956

Skipping Is Easy

Skipping a day of exercise is an easy thing to do.  In fact, it’s actually one of the easiest things to do.  How do I know? Because I did it yesterday.

It was easy.

Just don’t go to the gym.  How hard is that?  It’s not.

However, the intent was to pick up our son at school and head to Gold’s Gym like we commonly do.  The reason I really wanted to go is because I hadn’t been in four days.

Too much time in between workouts does several things:

  • Too much rest negates previous efforts
  • Too much rest makes us lazy
  • Too much rest makes it easier to skip

Skipping a day of exercise is an easy thing to do.  When it comes to taking care of yourself, are you an example or a warning?