Sunday, January 3, 2010

The Whittle My Middle II Challenge

Holiday report for Christmas 2009: 2 weeks, 9 hotels, 17 states, 6000 miles. Stuart and I had a wonderful time on our road trip this Christmas. It was amazing to travel across the US to the southwest, and then across the Deep South. I cannot even begin to describe my feelings and sensations in this post, but it has given me an idea for my new blog! So watch this space for further information ....as this blog is really about my trying to run.
I had a wonderful time eating ribs in the South, Mexican food in the Southwest and steak in the Midwest. Everything, accompanied by the local beers was delicious. That was the part of the holiday I could control. The part I could not, was the fact that in 6000 miles, I only found a pile of bananas at a Subway ONCE. So unless we went out of our way to find a mini mart, we had to make do with the offerings from the service stations. Subway sandwiches were fine, but no yogurts, and no fruit left us feeling yucky and lethargic. After driving for 10 hours, the last thing I felt like was using the hotel gym. It was not a question of motivation, I wanted to go for a run or a workout, but just felt too tired. Yes, me who has always believed that once you have your 'determination', everything else just falls into place.
This trip also made me realise what truckdrivers and others working long shifts must go through: after a 10 or 12 hour driving stint, you certainly don't feel like working out. In addition, many drivers do not stay in hotels with gyms. That makes life slightly more challenging. I have also stayed in Super 8 motels, and on entering, the freezing cold room is not conducive to lunges or press ups. All I wanted to do was have a hot shower and get into bed. I guess a variation of this is true for other people who work these long hours. Most importantly, all this has made me think about fitness and exercise in a different light. There is no quick answer to the above, but I would like to spend some time thinking about it a bit more.
Anyway, back to my waistline post-road trip. I arrived home feeling wonderfully rested, and intellectually stimulated, but physically icky. I did not go for a run yet as it is snowing heavily here, and I could not face the treadmill. Today, I found a lovely blog and a challenge I think I would like to try: Whittle My Middle II , This seems like something I can cope with, and I know quite a few of these exercises already. So, tomorrow is day 1, and hopefully I can wrap my head around a run too.

3 comments:

  1. The whittle my middle does sound like a good challenge. If I didn't feel like my plate was already overflowing then I would go for it.

    My boyfriend doesn't play rugby anymore but used to play on a team. He was the hooker. He took up running instead but still loves rugby. The ITB 7's tour is in San Diego next month but my marathon is the same time so he probably won't go.

    Matt Damon is very buff in the movie.

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  2. Thank you for the kind words about my blog. I must say that I love a road trip, but haven't been on a long one in 7 years. I'm trying to convince my wife to go to Disney World by car. 6000 miles in 2 weeks is an accomplishment worty of respect. I always thought that one of the best parts of road trips is being able to try thr local foods. As a bonus, you get to see some great scenery along the way.

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