LOG: Walked 3.2 Miles

Taking it easy today, partly because my wife does not run. So we go out together a couple of times a week for long walks. To me, believe it or not, walking is HARDER than running! For some odd reason I prefer to run than walk. I feel more tired after I come back from a 5 mile walk than a 5 mile run.

Late Jim Fixx. RIP.

But I also understand that as we get older we need to watch out for our heart and joints.

Do you remember Jim Fixx, the author of (out of print) Complete Book of Running? He was a phenomenon running guru back in the late 70s and early 80s. He singlehandedly kicked off the jogging craze in America and England and then one day in 1984 he had a massive heart attack and died while he was running at age 52...

I was so deflated and disappointed with his unexpected demise. Later on it turned out he had a congenital heart problem to start with and perhaps he should've never taken up running and should've walked instead (hindsight is always perfect, isn't it?). But I'm sure he enjoyed every minute of his running career as long as it lasted. He made a lot of money in the process too. So overall, I have a feeling he did not have a bad life at all. May he rest in peace.

Again, in a recent WSJ profile, Meb Keflezighi, the first American to win the New York marathon within the last 27 years, related how he was devastated by witnessing the death of a close friend in the midst of a marathon race:

"The Olympic trials in 2007 brought no such victory. Not only did Meb not make the Beijing team—he finished eighth—he fractured his hip during the race. Then there was the terrible tragedy of Ryan Shay's death. The rising marathon star and Meb's close friend suffered a massive heart attack during the race. During this year's marathon, Meb crossed himself in the spot where Shay went down."

So you gotta take it easy and listen to yourself, watch for signs of unusual pain and stress, and you should know when to back off and scale it down. Best is of course to go and see your doctor and have a physical if you do not feel right. Running is not for those with heart problems, I'm afraid.

A chilly and bright sunny day. Writing about running again got my "running juices" flowing. Wow! Who knows? I might get out again before sundown and squeeze in another 3 miles into this day's glory. What a great day to be alive, to be walking and running, and feeling life course through our veins and tendons, gently, almost with love.