Walk it Out

Stephanie called me via cellphone this morning about 30 minutes before my scheduled Deep Stretch yoga class at Black Dog.  She had mistakenly taken my car keys with her to run errands, but also had her keys. This meant I was stuck at home with no car.  Not a problem though, as I was comfortable on the couch watching the Lombardi documentary on HBO.  By the way, I highly recommend this movie.  It humanized one of the greatest coaches of our time and offered valuable lessons into motivational techniques while painting a portrait of a complicated, driven, tortured man.

I had every opportunity to throw my hands up and miss the workout. No car, no workout.  But, Steph convinced me to try and walk to the studio, which is roughly a mile or two away.  I had 25 minutes, so I knew I had time.  I was just feeling lazy, per the usual lately.

Thank goodness I rallied.  There literally wasn't a cloud in the sky.  The temperature was in the low-mid 70s (fahrenheit for my EU friends!). The picture-perfect So Cal morning.  What a pleasant walk!  I can't remember the last time I just took a walk for fun.  I'm always rushing somewhere, or pedaling somewhere, or driving somewhere to run somewhere else. Even though I was "rushing" in this situation, it didn't feel like it.  This was a leisurely pursuit.

And as a bonus, I rediscovered my neighborhood.

Things look, smell and generally feel different when you're walking and not running.  The cracks in the sidewalk.  The colors of the tree leaves. Kids squealing at the schoolyard.  The dog poop that someone neglected to pick up on the grass.

Today was a nice reminder that slowing down can be just as enjoyable as speeding up.  And, once again, that doing is even better than watching someone else's accomplishments -- even if it's Vince Lombardi himself.

176 days and counting.