I felt like I was running faster this morning, as I put more emphasis into my arms. However, my finishing time displayed the same sad pace that I’ve struggled with these past few weeks, and I had no pennies to show for it. I’m definitely in a slump, but at least my legs don’t feel as cumbersome and heavy to lift step-after-step. Hopefully, the changes I’ve made in shoes, compression support, and stretching are starting to make a difference. I still have a long way to go on this endless journey to nowhere in particular. Each day it’s 3.1 miles on the same boring Portland streets that I’ve been confined to these past six weeks. It’s about the only time I get out of the apartment each day and certainly the savior of my mental health. 

Activity is all about momentum. I’ve found that the busier I am, the more time I find to do even more. I get on a roll and the accomplishments follow. However, the less I do, the more I want to do less. I find myself uninspired to leave my comfortable seat, except to grab another snack. As a result, I’m about 5 pounds heavier than normal, yet unwilling to do anything about it. If I sit to long my leg muscles get sore and stiff, and that makes it even more difficult to get some momentum flowing. As Confucius once wrote: “it does not matter how slow you go as long as you do not stop.” This has been true of my running lately, as I continue to keep going despite the pain and discomfort. The tortoise has already proven to the hare that it doesn’t take speed to ultimately win the race. 

It’s hard to believe that Dolly Parton is credited with the phrase: “Energy begets Energy.” It sounds more like Shakespeare than Nashville-speak. She’s also quoted as saying, “I love being busy.” Sitting here writing every day after a run is as busy as I ever get, a drastic change in momentum from physical to mental. Mornings are the most constructive part of my day, and I’m not even thinking about food. It’s the rest of the day when boredom sets in, as I settle into TV mode. My latest silly project is to watch all 24 James Bond 007 movies. I’ve already watched GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, View to a Kill, and Die Another Day. I know that I’ve seen them all at one time in my life, but I’ve yet to recognize a single scene. 

I have trouble sitting still, so I’m constantly rewinding and pausing the shows that I try to watch. I stretch, pace, snack, and multi-task on the computer the rest of the day with little satisfaction. I’ll stop for dinner, a few household chores, and sometimes to take the dog outside, but this is where the days are starting to run together. I just wish I could be more like Dolly and carry my morning momentum into the rest of the day. Instead, laziness begets laziness and eating begets more eating!