Running the Table

As I've mentioned, I changed by diet about a year and a half ago.  No bread, no potatoes of any sort, no pasta, very little sweets and, as it turns out, very little beer.  My plan was to try it for 30 days and see how I felt.  Now, here I am, almost 18 months later, still at it.  It shouldn't be surprising, I guess, since I gave up meat and chicken on a lark - for almost five years - in my mid to late 20's.

It seems I have that kinds of personality - stubborn, obsessive, maybe a little disciplined (about some things, anyway).

I didn't change my diet to lose weight.  Not really.  I was curious if I could do it.  The challenge of it, you know?  Also, I wanted to see if I felt better.  I do, by the way.  I did think, though, that as I head into my mid-50's and beyond, my knees, back, and hips might feel better if I was a little higher.

I didn't weigh myself until I got a physical last May.  And, of course, I had lost a significant amount of weight.  More than 20 pounds.  I had needed some new suits for work, anyway, but dropping so much weight made buying new suits a necessity.  Actually, it was kind of fun to step up my wardrobe game, so to speak.

People have notice, which for the mosts part is nice.  I laughed, of course (sort of), when a friend's legal assistant - whom I've known for years - asked me if I was okay.  She was worried I was sick.  I had to laugh.

For me, thought, the biggest difference I've seen has been my running.  I've run consistently, with discipline, for more than 30 years.  At times, I've run more yearly mileage than others but I've always run.  There's never been a time in my adult life when I've gotten away from running, absent a significant injury (torn iliopsoas, plantar fasciitis, low back/hip pain, etc.).  Even when I've been injured, I've been in physical therapy.  Why?  So I could get back to running.  It's just what I do and who I am.

Running, for me, is like an old friend whom I've known and been close to for as long as I can remember.  Always there for me.  Always.  Steady and dependable.  Never fails to make me feel better about myself.  Happier.  More self-confident.  Always the best listener.

So, what made me want to write this today was the neighborhood run I had yesterday afternoon, just after Jude's brother, James, and his family arrived for the Christmas holiday.

5 miles in my neighborhood - Belmont - 12South - an old route by the house we used to live in on Elliott Avenue.  A route I've run countless times.  The kicker is that I ran the 5 miles at a 7:48 pace.  Comfortably, without pushing myself in any way.

And that's the really cool thing, for me.  My runs as of late are almost all 5 or 6 miles and they're almost all under 8 minutes per mile, or right at 8 minutes per mile.  Having dropped some weight, I'm training at a pace I hadn't run comfortably in 20, maybe 25, years.  I've gone from causing at 8:30 or 8:40 minutes per mile to 8 minutes per mile, or less.  And, again, at a cruising, conversational speed.

I haven't raced in ages.  Right now, just getting out there and running, pain free, almost effortlessly, at age 53, at under 8 minute miles, is enough.

I'm thankful for good health.  I'm going to ride this wave as long as I can.

Running the table.