ehowton: (Default)
ehowton ([personal profile] ehowton) wrote2010-07-28 09:15 am
Entry tags:

Magic. Shoes.

Mama says they was magic shoes. They could take me anywhere.

The day we shot the goat head my neighbor and I hiked up the hill in front of his house and set up. I bore the bamboo into the ground then set up my tripod while he piked the head. I put the fish-eye lens on my camera, secured the lens cap and powered on the camera. NO MEMORY CARD it flashed. Damn it! I'd left it in the house. "I'll be right back," I said, and started running across the top of the hill. About halfway to my house, I realized I hadn't *stopped* running. I can't remember the last time I ran on my own accord. I took check of myself, and was surprised to find everything functioning at nominal levels. When I reached the house I grabbed a memory card and decided I'd see if I could run the quarter mile or so back, this time uphill. I did, and really surprised myself. Was running...easy now?

During clean-up after the City's Independence Day event, [livejournal.com profile] drax0r and I were asked to take down the CAUTION tape on the other end of the field, about 50-yards away. The recently 60-pounds-lighter drax0r took off like a shot and I hurried to catch up to him. "Why are we running?" I asked.

"Because we can." he replied.

Hells yeah.

We both picked it up a notch and ran there and back.

As I've been sitting for the past thirteen years I've never had purpose to procure a pair of running shoes. In fact the whole idea seemed absurd. I didn't run. I have some hiking shoes. I have some boots for when it snows. I have ropers, a pair of Bostonian dress shoes and two pair of slip-on brown leather shoes, one dressier, one more casual, I have suede mocs I mow in, a pair of plaid "keds" three pairs of Crocks, a pair of "tone-up" shoes and pair of...well, casual work slippers which have a good walking tread on them. I even have a pair or ten of New Balance tennis shoes.

But running shoes? Shoes for...runing? I think not.

Meet my 5th pair of Merrell.

I was unaware they made running shoes (and in fact so were they - turns out they're new to the market) and was shocked at how nonexistent their apparent weight is. They weigh almost nothing. Truly amazing if you haven't experienced picking a pair up. I mean, they have mass - you can see them, but its as if you're holding a trick of light in your hand. Anyway, they were on sale (aren't they always?) so I bought my first pair. And I'll tell you something: Mama was right.

Now you wouldn't believe me if I told you, but I could run like the wind blows.

Here lately I've been having dreams about running. I don't right know what to think about that. I look down, and I'm wearing shorts and my legs are pumping like pistons. I'm wearing my orange Merrell's. I don't know why I'm running in my dreams, but I'm real good at it. Last night, that bubbled up into real life. My wife and I were walking around our neighborhood like we do every evening, except for some reason, we started running. I remember the first time I "ran" around the neighborhood when we first started taekwondo. It was exhausting, and I didn't make it very far. Whole minutes seemed to pass and I'd have gone about ten feet. But that didn't happen last night.

Last night, I ran.


[identity profile] mr-dowg.livejournal.com 2010-07-28 03:47 pm (UTC)(link)
I am very envoius of you and Lady L's weight loss and everything that has come with it....

I also look up to you for that very reason as well and hopefully I can join in on some of this soon as we start our own plan of losing weight and getting in shape. It is going to be a long process for me but I hope in the future I will be in a lot better shape than I am now and that I too will be able to RUN without having it kill me in the process!

[identity profile] ehowton.livejournal.com 2010-07-29 09:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Not as long as a process as you think. I now believe its easier to lose weight than to gain it. While it may take more effort to lose weight than to do nothing at all, its easy to do and happens rather efficiently. Now I've never tried to actively gain weight, but it seems to me it would be hard to do if I wanted to do it quickly as opposed to not doing anything and just letting it happen.

If *I* can do it dude...you'll make me look like an amateur when you kick it in gear.

TEAM DOWG!

[identity profile] michelle1963.livejournal.com 2010-07-28 07:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Totally awesome!

[identity profile] ehowton.livejournal.com 2010-07-29 09:14 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm not quite ready for the Ironman.

[identity profile] schpydurx.livejournal.com 2010-07-29 02:08 pm (UTC)(link)
That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run. So I ran to the end of the road. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd run to the end of town. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd just run across Greenbow County. And I figured, since I run this far, maybe I'd just run across the great state of Alabama. And that's what I did. I ran clear across Alabama. For no particular reason I just kept on going. I ran clear to the ocean. And when I got there, I figured, since I'd gone this far, I might as well turn around, just keep on going. When I got to another ocean, I figured, since I'd gone this far, I might as well just turn back, keep right on going

[identity profile] ehowton.livejournal.com 2010-07-29 09:18 pm (UTC)(link)
I rarely get that far, but when I start out, it certainly crosses my mind :D

[identity profile] fionnabard.livejournal.com 2010-07-29 07:05 pm (UTC)(link)
Thanks for commenting on this, I do it too. I told Trey about this months ago. Now that I'm working out anywhere from 8 to 14 hours a week it has changed a million little things, I wonder if he understood how odd it was for me to wrap my head around my new ability of running for no real reason.
I run because I can.
It's kinda crazy.

[identity profile] ehowton.livejournal.com 2010-07-29 09:26 pm (UTC)(link)
The more I find I can do, the more I want to push myself to do more.

[identity profile] unixwolf.livejournal.com 2010-07-30 02:48 am (UTC)(link)
W00t! I just sent a friend request to fat bastard.. But maybe he is not fat anymore?

[identity profile] ehowton.livejournal.com 2010-08-01 08:05 pm (UTC)(link)
Maybe you're thinking what you'd you like if YOU lost 60-pounds?

[identity profile] irulan-amy.livejournal.com 2010-08-01 05:31 am (UTC)(link)
It's been a long time since I could run without getting immediately winded and jelly-legged. This became apparent to me while dashing through some airport this year trying to make a connecting flight.

I admire you. I think I am too lazy to be properly motivated.

[identity profile] ehowton.livejournal.com 2010-08-01 08:06 pm (UTC)(link)
I've been lax since we dropped out of taekwondo, but I hope to pick up P90X & Insanity once school starts and the kidletts are out from underfoot...

[identity profile] thesweetestnote.livejournal.com 2010-08-01 09:03 pm (UTC)(link)
You didn't forget to unplug from the Matrix again did you? Last time I did I was a Kung Fu master for a few weeks...