I’m taking this return journey to fitness seriously. I jumped back in at the beginning of May and have only missed two days. Not bad for a girl who couldn’t find five minutes to even stretch for the last several months. I’m feeling great- mentally and physically. I forgot how much I love to get out there and work my body!
We have this park in my hometown that is located on the site where a hospital was prior to the EF5 tornado that wiped out a third of our city in 2011. After the devastated building was cleared, a beautiful park was built in its place. There are paths for walking or running, gorgeous landscaping, a pond with bridges and fountains and a long stairway up to a pavilion. That stairway is a favorite spot for runners and walkers in the area.
I decided to make those stairs a focus of my run today. I’m using the word “run” loosely because I found myself stopping to walk often. Interval training, at its best! I don’t see that as a pause for concern, though. I actually like the Galloway method of run-walk training. I used it often in my former fit life. I paced myself with that method today for 4 miles, which included several ups and downs on that concrete stairway. You know what else? I loved every minute of it. My initial plan was for 3.1–that traditional 5K marker. The heat, the humidity, the sweat, the burn of my muscles, the slight breeze on my face–it was all welcomed! I kept running until I hit the 4-mile mark on my Garmin.
Guess where I’m going tomorrow morning? Right back to those stairs! I’m not where I want to be with my fitness goals yet–but, I’m getting closer! One step at a time!
sharing the stairs 