Sunday, April 24, 2011

For every job that must be done...

I realize that it's been more than 2 months since my last post. I say that and it sounds like I'm going to confession.  Forgive me running shoes, for I haven't run. It's been 5 days since my last run.

Work has kept me busy and the winter was brutally harsh, but spring has sprung. I'm starting to get outside in the mornings and in the evenings. Seeing the sun in the morning and afternoons has given me a renewed sense of purpose.

I've been biking a bit outside, but not nearly enough at this point. That's what I've really loved doing. I'm also going to join the Granite Street Wheelmen, a local bike group which has rides in the evenings.

I'm still not training for anything, but, depending on my luck, I may have no choice. I signed up for the lottery for the New York City Marathon. I'll find out later this week if I got in (unlikely). If so, then my training has to really kick into gear. That will mean a very active summer, which is probably better for my heart and waistline, anyway.

In some ways, I'm dreading the idea of running another marathon and going through a summer of training. I mean, well, marathon training is long and can be painful, and for me, it can be extraordinarily boring. But if that's what it is, then that's what it is.

As for the running, well, the title of this post describes my outlook. Mary Poppins said it best: "For every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun and snap, the job's a game."

To be fair, she also said "a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down," so I'm not going with all of her words of wisdom.

But I have been doing fartleks and intervals, sprinting from tree to tree to try to make things enjoyable. I'm determined to make a game out of it, even if it kills me. Maybe I should just hum "Chim Chimminy Chimminy Chim Chim Chiree" as I bound down the streets. It worked for Dick Van Dyke.