Nerd on the Run

Exercise is not a part of my routine. I played a lot of basketball, soccer, and other physical games when I was young but as an adult have become relatively, uhm....sedate. I enjoyed playing soccer every Friday night this winter and by the end of the season found my muscle recovery time decreased from three days to three hours. Yes, I was actually limping around on Monday's after my first few sessions of Friday night soccer. What I really need though is to get into a good running routine. I have had some success in the past but never a sustained effort. Running has done much more to increase my array of ipod accessories than it has to decrease my belt size.


The problem is that I get much more of an adreniline rush from finishing a book, article, or other such task than I do for getting to 30 minutes of running, hitting a certain mile mark, or beating my time. After I move I might try to get into some sort of competitive sport where I thrive a bit more like soccer, racquetball, and I've always wanted to try curling (really, I love watching curling and can't wait to try it someday...another reason for the title of this post). But for now I have tried to invigorate my running effort with a new arsenal of podcasts that will provide a bit of the exhileration of reading with the boredome of running. Here is what I am enjoying:

-Wait, wait, don't tell me (funniest thing on the radio)

-NPR education podcast (good stuff, I just listened to an interview with Arne Duncan)

-Stuff you should know (How do credit default swaps work? How Deja Vu works?, etc....)

-Stuff you missed in history class (podcasts on Joan of Arc, Manhattan traded for nutmeg, etc...)

This aproach is a bit unorthodox, a bit like the growing sport of chess boxing. If I'm not fitter, faster, or slimmer next time you see me at least I'll be a bit smarter. I consider it my mind-body exercise insurance policy.