Back in my shoes again!

Posted by Mark

I exercised for 18 days during the month of October.  Not too bad for the fall.  Halloween, unfortunately, was the beginning of a quintessential nightmare.  I contracted the flu (likely of the oinker variety) the last weekend of the month and was sick for an entire week.  After that, it evolved into an upper-respiratory problem that lasted for a whole other week.  By the time I was feeling good enough to get out and exercise, the month of November was half over and the weather had taken a turn for the worse.  Determined to remain determined, yesterday (Monday, the 16th) I put on my shoes and headed for the lake regardless of my physical condition and irrespective of the elements.

I felt pretty good at first, thinking my fitness hadn't worn off too much. But things went down hill as I began to go up hill.  When I started climbing the damn (I mean dam) hill I really started to feel out of shape as the wind blew 30 MPH right down my nose. It was grueling to say the least.  Later, I even developed a cramp in my hip that almost forced me to quit.  I decided to persevere, however, and eventually completed the 4 miles albeit in a totally lackluster performance. 

All of the hardship aside, it felt great to get out there again and I feel like I have set the momentum for a winter exercise regiment.