Anyone who knows me at all knows that I do not like to exercise. I never have. I've never really liked being dirty or sweaty or in pain, and I've never been good enough at a sport to work past those things. I've tried just about every sport out there; I think that my extremely athletic father was hoping that something would stick, but I was never good at (and never really liked) anything I tried: softball, soccer, basketball, volleyball, ice skating, field hockey, dance, swimming. Really, I tried it all. Despite how it sounds though, I do actually like to do things and to be out and active, but not in an organized sport or exercising time kind of way. What I actually love to do is walk.
That might sound funny, but I really do love it. I love to be outside on beautiful days and I love to explore places. One of my favorite things about living in Barcelona was how walkable the city was; I walked everywhere, and I loved it. I did the same thing while on study abroad in London. I explored both of those cities by walking through their streets and alleys, parks, festivals, and shops. I found that it feels good to walk--and that it doesn't feel like exercise.
After Gerrit ran the Top of Utah Marathon in September, lots of people asked if I was going to run one too. I can't imagine anything worse sounding than running 26 miles. But the more I've thought about it, walking 13 miles doesn't seem so bad, especially if it's in the summer, and especially if it's with friends. So, even though I am about as far from athletic as you can be, I am going to walk a half marathon. I figure if I write it on my blog and other people read this I'll have to actually commit. I'm in the process of finding one around here in Utah that a) still has available spaces and b) is a date that we're in town, but I'm going to do it! And I would love some company for both the training and the actual marathon if any of my lovely girlfriends would like to join me. If not, Gerrit will do it with me--he can run the first half of the marathon and meet me at the half way point to walk the rest. :)
It does feel good to try something new--and for me, "exercise" is definitely new!
11 years ago
i'm there :)
ReplyDeleteGo Rebecca! I think that's awesome! And I would totally do it with you if I lived in Utah and wasn't already five months pregnant. :-) I will totally cheer you on from Virginia though!
ReplyDeleteHello Rebecca, I wish you luck in your new exercising... I hope you begin appreciating some sports as much as you enjoy walking! I really love exercising and I miss it if I don't, which, unfortunately has been the case for me recently because the MBA has been really demanding. I suggest you begin mountain biking (it kind of feels like walking in a sense) and gradually increase the level of difficulty. And you must always warm up and stretch your muscles before and stretch again after it. It may seem boring for people who don't enjoy doing it, but it makes a huge difference, especially as we grow older! My wife doesn't like exercising either, but she keeps saying she needs to. She enjoys dancing, though... It can be good exercise. Anyway, good luck!!! PS - You are right about London! I also walked A LOT across that city and was great!!! See you in class.
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