Unhealthy Habits

I went running for the first time since 9/16/17. I time my runs with the Runkeeper Ap, so my depressing record is there for me to see clearly. I also notice that the last time I ran a decent length, 6.02 miles, was 8/31/17. I blame this 4 month lapse on my health in the fall. I had a nasty cold with a severe cough, which turned into a sinus infection, and about the time I was getting over that, I got another cold, just about as nasty. Both colds had those irrepressible coughs that trigger coughing fits, and I tried to go out for exercise and could not manage it.

Then I did something truly stupid to my knee. I twisted my right knee very badly simply by trying to climb up into a super high jacked up pickup truck. I was barely able to walk for 2 days.

Then I got fat and lazy for a couple of months. That is seriously unhealthy and depressing, so don't do that.

About the time I started looking to get back into it, we had a 3 week long cold snap with temperatures around 0° the whole time.

Yesterday, the cold snap lifted and today it was 60°. I ran outside in shorts. I've got to get back into it and stay at it. One of the things that motivated me was a guy I saw yesterday at my son's birthday party. We'd never met before, and he came up to me and said, "You're the guy that runs on Milton Thompson Road."

That's scary to think that I'm that visible and that people recognize me. And I used to be that guy, just not lately. I want to be that guy again.

When I finished the run, it was so nice out that I was in no hurry to go outside. There was trash in the ditch in front of my house, so I walked the road picking it all up.

I've noticed this before, the trash falls mostly into 3 groups: tobacco, alcohol, and fast food. Today it struck me that these were all unhealthy habits. It seems reasonable that people that are not taking care of their bodies and don't give a shit about their future would also not give a shit about the future of the environment.

So maybe healthy habits help make healthy habits. Hopefully getting back in shape will get me back in shape in other ways too. I could really use it right about now.