a bitterSWEET workout

In choosing to take today's run, I made the enormous mistake of missing a meeting I had planned to attend at my job. I completely, entirely forgot about the meeting. Now, I'm clearly disgusted with myself and consider it a massive time management failure, and I only have myself to blame. But I guess the best option is to consider it part of the past and look at the positive side of the series of events.

I ran approximately three miles to and from Stony Brook. The last time I did this short run my right knee was absolutely murdering me. Murdering me. And I know that's crazy because it is, but my knee was in rough shape. Today was wholly different. My knee felt perfect, my arthritis tame. Consequently, I turned things up a notch. I don't know how quickly I ran the miles, but I was satisfied with myself afterward, particularly when a man on Ruggles Street stopped to speak to me. "Wow, you're fast!" "Excuse me?" "I just took the train from Stony Brook and we got here at the same time. Unbe-unbelievable! That's amazing!" An optimal way to finish an incredible run. I've never felt fast or been called "amazing" so I was reasonably stoked.

Then I went to the gym and lifted, lifted, lifted.

these shoes rule

Every time I enter my apartment, I'm completely soaked. Just now, it was from biking home from work in the torrential downpour. Earlier, it was from exercising in extreme humidity.

I kicked off my day by ingesting some tofu then heading over to Marathon Sports on Boylston Street. We talked feet for quite some time. Arches. Support. Give. Rubbing. Tightness. Arthritis. Socks. All the essentials. I tried on a good five or six pairs. Most of them had one or two endearing qualities. The Adidas had incredible technology but pressed too hard on my arthritis. The Mizunos were both attractive and unique, but felt like they could fall off my foot at any moment. After giving the top choices a literal run for their money, I settled on some Sauconys. Of course I did. I've been running in Saucony shoes for years because they give me the support I need and they keep my arches happy.

So I took my new kicks for an inaugural run. I was dripping sweat before I even finished with the warmup. Dripping. The heat and humidity were unbelievable. I listened to "The Eraser" and did the run I intended to achieve last night: quick and easy to the State House and back. It went pretty well I think. The shoes worked out wonderfully for me and my arthritis was less troublesome. Slightly troublesome: the fact that I bumped into the guy who sold me the shoes while I was jogging/sweating bullets on Commonwealth Avenue. I'm not even kidding. I have never sweated that hard in my entire life. Ever. So I walked it off while making my way toward Marino. Some freshman crap was taking place in the quad and I briefly wanted to sob, but then I saw the table with free lemonade. I guess even freshman orientation has its perks. Ergh... At Marino I did my first weight workout in years. And it was extremely shortlived. I just worked my way through some lower body stuff, then cooled down on a treadmill.

I arrived home looking like I had gone swimming. No joke.