Hurrying

[darkemeralds]

I've taken up running.

The urge came over me one day a month or so ago. It's "running" in the sense of breaking gravity by having both feet off the ground at once--albeit by a millimeter, for a millisecond. Somewhere between a jog and a shuffle. A juffle.

At first it was four steps juffling, four walking, repeat, and then be uncomfortable. Now I can juffle for a whole city block at a time, then walk a bit, and juffle another block. No special gear required, no athletic critique invoked--I just look like I'm running for a bus.

I told my healthcare practitioner (who was very encouraging, by the way), that I'm training for the Olympic Hurrying event. My brother the artist made me a logo, q.v.

Here's the amazing thing: even just a couple of minutes' hurrying clears my mind, elevates my mood, energizes me for an hour, makes achy bits stop aching, and improves my eyesight (really!).

Also, my bus-catching stats have improved dramatically.

Comments

[prime_meridian]

I love this. Both because it speaks to moderation versus "OMG, I'm going to run a marathon in six months" and because dammit, it's good to remember that even a speedy shuffle from hither to yon can make you feel better. :)

Love the icon. And I just learned what q.v. means so go me. :P

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

It's VERY moderate, what I'm doing! What's been so amazing to me is the gulf that separates it from even the most vigorous walking.

All these years I've believed that the difference was measured in calories burned, period. But three or four minutes' "hurrying" has effects that I've never experienced with any amount of vigorous walking. It's pretty cool.