about getting from point A to point B in the most interesting ways possible

If you're a large woman in America, your whole life is an opportunity to feel self-conscious, embarrassed, resentful and way too big. You can hide in the corner or on the couch, you can go to therapy, or you can put on your lycra bike shorts and get out there and move.
—Jayne Williams, Slow Fat Triathlete

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January 15, 2005

Treadmill permalink

When I got up, the pavement was dry. By the time I left the house, the freezing rain had begun in earnest.

So, I went and did the 11 miles on the treadmill. I managed to leave the ip0d and reading material at home. Ack. So I positioned myself right in front of the plateglass window, in view of the TVs. I had a bad attitude almost immediately, so I had to play the gratitude game.
I was grateful
- that I could do the walk at all
- that I could watch the hysterical local Storm! coverage showing pileups and warning everyone to stay home
- that I had such good access to washrooms
- that someone had left a 1999 Muscle & Fitness, a Metal Mania!, and a well-loved, almost completely destroyed Esquire

Every half hour or so, a clump of people would walk by. They all had id badges and portland tourist maps and umbrellas from a local casino. It took me about 7 miles to recognize that they were attending the US Figure Skating Championships. (Hey, welcome to Portland. A competitor will be injured and her mother killed coming from the airport, and then the city will be gripped in an ice storm and everything will come to a complete halt)

I had to bargain with myself. I was bored and my pain tolerance was low or non-existent, and I really wanted to just quit and go home after mile 3 (mile 3!!). But I finished.

Posted at January 15, 2005

Comments

And THAT is what hard training is all about: being able to hold it together to the end, despite wanting to quite, despite being sore, despite having no Ipod. Great job!!!!!!

And let me say that there is no way I could ever last 11 miles on a treadmill. The mental fatigue would kill me. You are amazing!

Posted by: Jon in Michigan at January 16, 2005 4:50 AM

Good for you for seeing it through! I really hope you gave yourself a mental pat on the back for that.

Posted by: Lara at January 16, 2005 11:53 AM

I've never done more than 4 on the treadmill. That's determination!!

Posted by: susan at January 16, 2005 3:44 PM

VJ - just catching up, and this is an awe inspiring report. Seriously, you are a force of nature. 50 minutes on the treadmill is my all time record. I can not even imagine what kind of mental and physical fortitude it takes to do what you do. You are my inspiration! xoxo Mia

Posted by: Mia at January 17, 2005 8:07 AM