Walking and Seeing

In a moment of cloudy judgment I decided that I'd like to do the Marine 911 5k run/walk this Saturday. I walk on the treadmill at the gym so how much worse could this really be? Right? Right.

So today I went to the Brookhaven Ecology Center to walk their track. Its 1.2 miles around and I needed to complete 3 laps to make sure I could walk the 5k for this Saturday.

So I head out on the trail and people are blowing past me. No biggie I'm not running or riding I'm walking. Then the woman on the phone passes me. Hmm, annoying but not much of a concern. Then a pregnant woman goes flying past me. Yeah like showing pregnant. Come on now that's just sad.

At about a half mile I thought to myself "Self, this is so not going to work. I'm really not in any shape to consider doing this. I should just stop after the first time around". At the 1 mile mark the trail is covered in shade and my perspective changed and I figured what the hell I'll go around again.

Second lap I decided that my work appropriate play list was not helping my pace and I switched to my gym playlist. Oh what a genius idea. I owe the Beastie Boys and Linkin Park more than they will ever know. My pace picked up and I was cruising at the end of lap 2. 2.4 miles, I felt so cool. And then...

I got lapped by a couple who were in their 70s. Oh come on who were they trying to impress with their speedy walking. That kind of behavior is what leads to broken hips. Or blisters. Or probably just the ability to be very active in later years.

I did the third lap without really noticing that I finished the second. I was too distracted by the older couple. I hit the 5k mark at about an hour. I finished the last half mile with little incident. Except for the moment that I got to lap someone! So what if she was 5 years old. It was my moment and no one is going to steal it from me.

I came home and I sat down and tried to study for my Enrolled Agents exam and I still cannot see bupkis and I'm so dizzy and queasy from trying to read that I'm about to toss my 2 pairs of useless glasses out the window. I don't much care who or how my eyes get fixed, but I can't continue this way.