Up off the Couch

I am terribly out of shape. Now, I say that cautiously because I realize that there are many people who cannot walk a mile (but on the other hand, many can walk hundreds of miles). I can walk a mile, plus some. I can also run a mile, plus some, but that is mainly because I am stupid – because so out of shape am I, that I would attempt to run say ten miles, then injure myself, or fall and break a leg or much worse.

Let me tell you first off, that the gym will never get me fit. I have been visiting the gym all the while that I have grown so terribly out of shape. The reason the gym will not get me into shape is because I tend to use the gym as a time of relaxation. I spend an hour on the elliptical relaxing – on the stationary bike relaxing – I do so reading novels, binge watching shows on Netflix.

So, all I really know now about my fitness is that I am over weight, and I am not strong. I feel weaker than I ever remember. But now that I have some time off for the summer (hours cut in half!), I have time to get moving, time to gain back some of that strength. This is something that I desire tremendously.

Alas, accomplishing such a goal is not as easy as saying it. This means that I need to get outside and move. And when in the past, a hundred wild horses couldn’t stop me from doing that, now, well, I’d much rather sleep.

And, so now begins my summer journey of getting back into shape. And it almost didn’t happen this particular holiday weekend, because I nearly opted for a nap instead. It was Sunday afternoon that I finally decided to step outside and move. The only way I could get myself to do it, was to promise myself not to try and run. This would be a nice, leisurely hike, umm, I mean walk (well, actually more like powerwalk) in and about my lovely seaside town which I often so quickly flee from for mountainous terrain.

I opted for a loop, one that dumped me out on Monarch Beach, our most northern beach. From there, I took the sand along Salt Creek Beach and then Dana Strands. And then in the cool ocean breeze, I took the many agonizing flights of steps back up to town where I hoped onto the Headlands Trail which is a short-cut back into downtown (or the Lantern District, as it is named). The stairs were terribly difficult, and I needed to stop and rest one or two times.  Around that time, I glanced down at my garmin and noticed that I was running about a half hour later than I had planned, and that I far past what I thought would be about 4.5 miles total. In all, this loop was 8 miles, which took me by surprise, especially odd because this is not a new loop, I’ve done it many times before.

The trip:

I noticed these beautiful purple flowers (which I see often in the wild in the coastal hills) on my way to the trail that leads down to Monarch Beach:

The tunnel beneath Highway One (the little bus is taking tourists back to their hotel):

Finally at the seashore:Monarch Beach:Dana Strands:The Headlands: