Aches and Pains

     Moving forward isn't without its aches and pains.  My body has mostly healed from my crash, but now I have new things to deal with.  Thousands of hours on my bike had shaped my body into a highly specialized cycling machine.  Riding fifty miles felt like nothing, but even walking half a mile left my legs tired and sore.  My body was oddly proportioned too.  Compared to the average American male I was completely backwards with skinny little twig arms and massive thighs.  My wife used to call me T-Rex.  Now that I am not cycling any more though, I am transitioning to different forms of exercise.  That involves lifting weights and running.  All this change has left me in constant pain.  My feet and knees are constantly aching and swollen. I've gotten blisters where I never thought I would before.  My arms and shoulders feel dead.  There have been times when all this change just frustrates me.  I try not to think about it, but in my weakest moments I long to get back on a bike (and feel the miles slip effortlessly away as I glide over the road).  More than that, I wonder if I am pushing myself too hard.  Should I be doing all this while I am still recovering from a broken neck?  But, I keep pressing on.  There's no choice really.  I can't go back to cycling.  So the only thing to do is go forward.  
     The truth of the matter is, there's always going to be something.  If I let the aches and pains bother me, I probably wouldn't exercise at all.  It's much more comfortable to sit on the couch.  I have to keep moving though.  At some point I am hoping my body will get used to my new exercise routine.  Right now when I run, every stride is painful.  I feel pathetic when I do push-ups.  I am getting stronger though.  Last week I ran 7 miles, which was a big achievement for me.  I can do more than 5 push-ups now too.  
     The hardest part of all this is exercising when I don't want too.  I loved riding my bike.  I don't feel that same love for running, or lifting weights, or anything for that matter though.  I wonder if it will come in time?  For now, I have a schedule and I try to stick to it.  It's not a lot of exercise - only one to two runs a week.  And, my weight routine consists of push-ups and lifting cinder blocks once a week.  Still, it's something to keep me active.  I want to run a marathon before February.  And, I'd like to look a little less like concentration camp victim up top.  Keeping those goals in mind is what gets me moving when I don't want to.  I may not love these new exercises, but I can still set goals for myself and pursue them.  After all, that's how we move forward in life. 
     So, I am going to keep going.  Semper Porro right?  If I can keep moving forward, despite breaking my neck and having my life completely changed, what are a few aches and pains.

I bought a new pair of shoes to run in.  My old ones were dead and if I am going to run a marathon, I figure good shoes are essential.  Hopefully they will help with the aches and pains.