Eating Crow

I fear I may be served up a delicious helping of crow.

A dear friend passed away recently, not a close friend, but someone who had an amazing impact on whomever's life she touched. She had a massive heart attack and died at 50. No real indicators except that her blood pressure was high.

High blood pressure runs in my family. So does heart disease, both sides. I have always tried to maintain some level of activity in my life, different intensities at different junctures, for that reason. To keep my health on the up and up and to steer clear of having to be on medication.

After my friend's passing, I thought I should maybe test my blood pressure at one of those machines at the gym. I recently started going whole-hog into fitness again with some crazy goals, and had been feeling a bit light-headed, convincing myself it was from pushing a bit too hard. A friend asked me why I have to go so headlong into everything. I think it's just my personality. I have to be challenged or I get bored. In everything.

My blood pressure was through the roof! Every female relative on my mom's side is on blood pressure medication and I VOWED never to be on it!

I have a doc appointment in the coming days.

It appears my heart is a bit bruised from the things I have subjected it to in the past year or so. It actually personifies my emotional life in the same time frame. Ironic I suppose.

I fear one of the things the doc may suggest is exercising with a heart rate monitor, the same thing about a week ago, I was saying was unnecessary.

I think it's important because my health is important. I plan to be here for awhile.

I, by no means, know everything, never ever want to even hint that I do.

So for dinner tonight, crow. It won't be the first taste, and it won't be the last.

I'm sure it tastes great with salsa. Doesn't everything?

The Road Less Travelled - Do I NEED a heart monitor?

I have never listened to what people told me I couldn't do. No, that's inaccurate. I have never BELIEVED what people told me I couldn't do, in fact that fuelled my drive even more.

When I trained for the 40k bike portion of a triathlon, long ago albeit, the motivation came from an ex who thought I couldn't bike, or at least thought that I wasn't very strong at it. A twist of fate, unbeknownst to me until the day of, placed him at the race I did, in the van that followed the cyclists, ready to repair a flat tube, or anything really. It was with immense satisfaction that I finished.

I didn't buy a special bike, it was actually the mountain bike I still have today! I rode it through rain and wind in TEARS, crying and talking to myself at ungodly hours.

I didn't follow ANY training regimen, I never even looked at a book, and Lord knows there was no www.youtube.com then! I trusted my body and pushed. That was it.

That same summer, the guy that did the swim portion of the triathlon asked me to do a "try-a-tri" and on a whim, I agreed. I had NEVER run, only on a treadmill and I took swimming classes as a kid but did front crawl without putting my face in the water. My main motivation was to not finish last. I didn't.

I recently took up running again. Why I quit is for another post, I finally figured it out over the holidays.

The last time I finished a real race was in 2004. I trained for a half marathon and finished it. I never followed a training regime, I just ran the same distance everyday, with some hills, and tried to get faster. And I did one long run a week, including a trial of the whole distance, about a week before the event. I would never break any Ethiopian records but I didn't do badly for a first time.

By no means am I criticizing those that utilize gadgets to improve their training, finish, final time, whatever their motivation. I want to make that abundantly clear!

I just wonder, is it necessary?

I'm not a competitive athlete so most would say "no".

Frankly, I don't believe anyone needs anything else for running except a good fitting pair of shoes so your toenails don't fall off! Sometimes they do anyway.

I read a friend's blog, which is fantastic by the way, you can find it here. She discussed getting a new heart rate monitor this week.

Maybe it's because I can't afford one right now. Maybe it's because I have never felt that I had to have a "competitive edge". Maybe it's because I am Scottish and cheap.

Who am I to say that inspirations in the sporting world don't benefit from the state-of-the-art equipment, companies are falling all over each other to get them to use/endorse?

For me the answer came today on a fluke.

I was searching for inspirational videos on www.youtube.com and came across a Nike ad. This was it.

There is a very small appearance by someone named Steve Prefontaine. You may have heard of him. I watched the movie years ago called "Prefontaine" starring Jared Leto but recognized Pre in the ad.

I remembered his inspiration. So today, before going to the gym, I watched half of another biopic about him called Without Limits. I watched the other half when I came home.

He didn't have a heart monitor, nor a Garmin, nor fancy running garb.

He loved to run.

His philosophy was, why hang back in a race when you can give it all you've got for the gamut.

He called it "chickenshit" to do it any other way.

He was different. Danced to a different drummer. Wasn't "like everyone else". He had no doubt in his mind that he could do it. And before his tragic and early death, he was among the faster people alive.

His short life was indeed an inspiration.

While I am not in the market to break running records, I believe I can do anything I set my mind to.

And it's because of Pre's story, and many many other famous and ordinary people that have come into my life.

The thing that propels you is not the equipment, but what's in your heart.

And in your head. Sometimes your head gets the best of you. I know mine has too many times to count.

So as tempting as it may be for me to put myself in the poor house and purchase gadgets I think I need, I'll take a pass this time.

But because I am obviously NOT a front runner, at least now, I'll leave it up for discussion.