Wordful Wednesday: Unfit for Springtime

How long does it take to get out of shape? Not nearly as long as it took to get in shape in the first place. Just a couple of gray, overcast, subzero months will do it, months that felt more like years, huddled up in a shapeless parka, reaching for the chocolate to compensate for the chopped lips, the cracking hands, and that chill that seeps right to your bones.

I felt fit during those long hibernating months. I played tennis three days a week, jumped on the elliptical every once in a while. But with every bowl of macaroni and cheese comfort, I settled into winter hibernation. It was necessary. It was survival.

When I laced up my running sneakers and went outside yesterday, mesmerized by the dazzling blue sky and the manic birds in the trees, I couldn't wait to race through the streets, wind in my hair, heart pounding like last summer. But when my feet hit the pavement, my legs were lead. Each step was slower than the next. I was plodding, not flying, and it was hard, more torture than recreation. The street is a tough talker, she doesn't lie and coddle you.

It took 20 minutes for the sweat to come, and my heart to start pounding. My legs still felt heavy, but as the sweat began dripping down my forehead, I felt glimmers of the power within, hints of the exhilaration I felt that glorious August day when I ran on the beach in California, sea lions barking in the distance, waves crashing on the sand. Spring is right around the corner, and so is my springtime in shape body.

The street is a tough trainer, but I know she will me reward in the end.

Happy Wordful, Five Minutes Wordless, and Way-back wednesday.