I Was a Diehard Runner — Now I Can’t Run at All
I’m learning to enjoy life in the slow lane
Wednesdays are for walking. I start the morning by getting dressed for the day, complete 5–10 minutes of meditation, and head out the door with my dog, Kiki. She’d sleep all day if I let her, but the second I mention the “w” word, she’s up and at ‘em.
Kiki and I started this Wednesday tradition a couple of months ago when I decided I wanted to walk more consistently each week. It’s not the only day we walk, but it’s at least one guaranteed day on the schedule. Most days, she gets her exercise when she goes to work with dad.
During the pandemic, I began using walking as exercise for the first time in my life. Until that point, I was a long-distance runner and never understood why people walked when they could run. Typing that now seems silly, but it’s how I used to think.
Running, I could burn more calories in half the time, which was a big selling point for the eating disorder I toted around for six years. Another perk was it didn’t require me to slow down and face the reality of how I was feeling.
Running kept my mind distracted. Because I often pushed myself to extremes to meet the demands of my disorder, there wasn’t time to listen to my body’s needs. I was living primarily inside my…
