Inspiration move me brightly

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu- Chinese philosopher (604 BC - 531 BC)


Maybe its because this is the weekend of the Hawaii Ironman World Championship in Kona which is streaming live at Ironmanlive.com as well as the Mohawk Hudson River Marathon which yours truly directed for 5 years from 2000-2005. Or maybe its because its a beautiful fall day with a nip in the air with the leaves turning. Or just maybe its because on Monday (10/13) I turn 48 and the my usually curvy boobs and butt are noticeably fuller and untoned and Ive developed a bit of a Buddha belly.

A stint on Dancing with the Stars would certainly help me get in shape and I can dance. Although never formally trained in ballroom, I do have classical ballet and jazz and modern dance training in my background. Unfortunately, I am not even a D list celebrity (maybe a D-list poker blogger). I could join the likes of Chris Berman, Chris Carter, Mike Golic, Dan Marino and Marie Osmond (who I share a birthday with) and join the NutriSystem bandwagon.

But the surest fire way for me to get in shape is to get off my lazy cerebral, poker playing ass and begin running. The seed was planted earlier this year when i saw the launch of the Xterra trail running series held in conjunction with the Xterra triathlon series. It was further planted when I got together this summer with one of my oldest & dearest friends, Debbie up at the Saratoga racetrack and we talked about our old adventures and how we should have tried out for the Amazing Race (both of us are former running club presidents, race directors, snowshoe racers, trail runners). Debbie will always have a place in my heart for trying to teach me to Mt bike and laughing at me during my numerous falls off the bike including almost cracking my elbow. She didn't even blink an eye when I took a tumble off her $3000 Serotta.

I had even suggested a weight loss prop bet to Snake prior to his trip to Vegas. he begged off saying he couldn't start prior to Vegas. Instead i listened to his tale of overindulgence at Lawry's the Prime Rib and the Palm Steak House. I mean if Mike Matusow can lose 60 lbs, IG can certainly lose 10-20 lbs (15 is the goal). JLo completing the Nautica Malibu Triathlon further inspired me.


Today I laced up my Adidas trail runners and ran for the first time in a long time. I made it 15 minutes without stopping and wore no watch (my Timex Ironman is lost) but did carry my cell to at least have an idea of time run. I felt great then shitty, then great then shitty. Same as it always is. I wore no IPOD, I wanted to get my breathing in sync with the movement of the rest of my body. When I found myself running the tangents instinctively, I chuckled and decided to run the curves. I'm a pretty relaxed runner, i carry my arms relaxed and I'm pretty efficient but damn if my legs didn't feel like tree stumps! Not the same as when you transition from the bike to the run but towards the end they were leaden.

We'll see how I feel tomorrow. My goal is to run at least 4 days a week but I'll start at 3 days