SumoRunner
Well-known member
The following was first published in "The Pace Setter", the monthly news magazine of the Hudson-Mohawk Road Runners Club way back in 1991. I have several such screeds on my home page that I've written over the last 15 years.
Old Jack's Back Again.
I RAN A MILE TODAY!
And boy it felt good. Not running it though, that felt horrible. You know, the burning lungs, the aching legs. I mean after I did it, then it felt good. Then there was a surge of adrenalin from the knowledge that I could at least do one again. Boy it's been a long time. But that's not what matters now because...
I RAN A MILE TODAY!
It's just a couple days shy of three months from the date when I had the open heart surgery. Three months, yeah it sounds like such a short time, but it's been the longest three months of my life. Every step I've taken toward recovery has been a tough one. The day I got out of the hospital, one week after the operation, I went immediately out for a mile walk. Nah, nothing extraordinary there, that's what they tell you to do. Within a couple weeks though I was walking 3 miles every day. And at 6 weeks I tried a tiny bit of running again. I made 80 yards the first time. It's taken from then to now, another whole 6 week period to work it up to one full continuous mile. But that's not what matters now because...
I RAN A MILE TODAY!
The muscles, the ligaments, the tendons and the bones they sawed in two have all healed quite nicely now. I didn't have much trouble from those after the operation, but there were complications. Aren't there always? Upon arriving home from the hospital I was at a loss for as simple a thing as oxygen. During the procedure one of my lungs collapsed, so I began my latest come-back at half capacity. Bringing it back on-line has been a struggle I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. My wife thinks it was a good thing though, since if I had full power I might have gone back to running too soon and too hard. She could be right, but that's not what matters now because...
I RAN A MILE TODAY!
And now I can call myself a real runner again. One mile may not seem like much to anyone who does 10 or more every Saturday morning. I used to be able to handle 35 to 40 miles a week myself. That was just a year ago in fact,
training for the Schenectady Stockade-athon 15Km. Gawd, that sounds like light years compared to a single mile. But it's a start. I know that if I can do one now, I can work up to 2 or 3 soon and maybe more later. But who cares about later, I'm only thinking about now. What I may or may not do later isn't what matters now because...
I RAN A MILE TODAY!
And it was good to be back out on my favorite path and meet an old friend on the run. He said, "Nice to see ya back again Jack". Yeah, it's nice to be back, Mike. Nice to be a part of it all again. Yeah, nice. Real nice. Nice just to be alive. Oh hey, before I go, did I tell you I RAN A MILE TODAY?
Old Jack's Back Again.
I RAN A MILE TODAY!
And boy it felt good. Not running it though, that felt horrible. You know, the burning lungs, the aching legs. I mean after I did it, then it felt good. Then there was a surge of adrenalin from the knowledge that I could at least do one again. Boy it's been a long time. But that's not what matters now because...
I RAN A MILE TODAY!
It's just a couple days shy of three months from the date when I had the open heart surgery. Three months, yeah it sounds like such a short time, but it's been the longest three months of my life. Every step I've taken toward recovery has been a tough one. The day I got out of the hospital, one week after the operation, I went immediately out for a mile walk. Nah, nothing extraordinary there, that's what they tell you to do. Within a couple weeks though I was walking 3 miles every day. And at 6 weeks I tried a tiny bit of running again. I made 80 yards the first time. It's taken from then to now, another whole 6 week period to work it up to one full continuous mile. But that's not what matters now because...
I RAN A MILE TODAY!
The muscles, the ligaments, the tendons and the bones they sawed in two have all healed quite nicely now. I didn't have much trouble from those after the operation, but there were complications. Aren't there always? Upon arriving home from the hospital I was at a loss for as simple a thing as oxygen. During the procedure one of my lungs collapsed, so I began my latest come-back at half capacity. Bringing it back on-line has been a struggle I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. My wife thinks it was a good thing though, since if I had full power I might have gone back to running too soon and too hard. She could be right, but that's not what matters now because...
I RAN A MILE TODAY!
And now I can call myself a real runner again. One mile may not seem like much to anyone who does 10 or more every Saturday morning. I used to be able to handle 35 to 40 miles a week myself. That was just a year ago in fact,
training for the Schenectady Stockade-athon 15Km. Gawd, that sounds like light years compared to a single mile. But it's a start. I know that if I can do one now, I can work up to 2 or 3 soon and maybe more later. But who cares about later, I'm only thinking about now. What I may or may not do later isn't what matters now because...
I RAN A MILE TODAY!
And it was good to be back out on my favorite path and meet an old friend on the run. He said, "Nice to see ya back again Jack". Yeah, it's nice to be back, Mike. Nice to be a part of it all again. Yeah, nice. Real nice. Nice just to be alive. Oh hey, before I go, did I tell you I RAN A MILE TODAY?
I love Cardio workouts though.
