Clunk & Sputter

Nicki:  <ahaaa>  <ahaaa> <ahaaa> translation: wheee! this is fun.

Kieran: <uh'houww> <uh'houww> <uh'houww> translation: i'm gonna die.

About five years ago i injured my tibia/knee tendon.  I'm not sure if i injured it running or doing squats but, in any case, i didn't listen to it carefully enough and by day three it had become chronic.  

Since then, i've been "running" on elliptical trainers and ski machines; and i do train hard, working up a copious sweat for 20 to 40 minutes.  But what with Nicki and all the trails around here, i've wondered if i should and could try running again.  Nicki would certainly like it.  Every time he sees a jogger run past he wants to join in. 

Although it's late in the short summer, i figured that since today was a gym-rest day i'd toodle by the runners shop and see what they had.  

I've always run in Adidas.  They were the first running shoe commercially available and, although they were on the narrow side for my feet, none of the other shoes i intermittently tried (Nike and Brooks)stood up a damn.

The local runners store didn't have a huge selection of Adidas but they had one that was fairly close to my last pair of Tigers.  They seemed fine, but i was still unsure if i wanted to shell out $110.00 for what could well prove to be a nostalgia gone sour.

However the guy at the store -- who was nice enough to actually tie the shoes on for me --  said that if i didn't like them or if it didn't work out i could bring them back for a refund. "You're kidding" i said.  "No, really."  "Not a credit but a cash refund?"  "Credit or refund, whichever you want."  As long as it was within a reasonable time, maybe 25 miles, and the shoe wasn't all gouged up, they'd take it back. I had explained to him about my injury. "Even if it's me that doesn't work out?" "Yes."  With terms like these, he closed the deal.

So with orange Adidas and their spongi-flex heel in hand i drove over the wooded park behind the cemetery.  There's a half mile long, mildly sloping greenway and trail there, where Nicki could prance about off leash.

I wondered where i would change into running shorts before reality got hold of me again.  At the rate i would be running i wouldn't need shorts; a three piece suit would do just as well.  

Truer thoughts never crossed a mind.  I didn't last half a mile in either direction.  My wind was ok; at least i wasn't wheezing.  But the overall experience was clunk and sputter. 

It was nothing i didn't already know.  These aerobics machines are only an approximation of the real thing. But we'll give it 25 miles, and i'll keep a spare three piece suit in the car for runs on the fly with Nicki.