No Pain, No Pain

(July 12, 2000)

"It didn't feel good while I was doing it, but I'm glad I did it!" chirps Terry, a co-worker, in response to my not-that-interested-but-being-polite query, "how was your run?" She was just in from outside, pink and glistening in her "Just Do It" tank top and shorts, chestnut curls bouncy and wild. I was en route back from the kitchen with a cup 'o java in one hand and a Diet Coke in the other, having skipped lunch (as usual) and spent the morning bitch-slapping an inventory control process around until it made sense. Coffee-torqued and hostile, I murmered "Good for you, that's impresumumblable," as I stalked back to my anti-productivity pod. Unable to process any other thought (deadlines be damned) Here I sit thinking about the great big horror: excercise.

Ugh, just THINKing about it makes me exhausted. How do people DO this?

There's Terry, she's huffing and leaning against the counter, gulping Poland Spring water like a guppie on steroids. Her left knee is wrapped in an Ace bandage and her eyes are stinging with sweat running into them. And she's grinning like a cat-- she's in pain and she LOVES it, as much as she hates it. And she sure looks great.

Me, I have a hard time with finishing "It doesn't feel good while I'm doing it..." any other way than "...so I don't."

I used to run, like 50 pounds and six years ago. But now I can't remember why or how!

I remember something my friend Diana once said, when she was planning a ski trip to Yugoslavia. Skiing, that's like, as hard as running but in the COLD. "You're cold, you ache, you're tired, your nose runs, your fingers hurt, but it's SO MUCH FUN!"

Uhh...I dunno kids, I just don't see it. I keep trying, got the treadmill, got the Tae Bo tapes...I'm an utter failure in the world of cardio-torture. I'm going to make myself a T-shirt too. Mine'll say "Ah, Screw It."