World Cup Workout

Who can run a solid half without even stopping to nurse a bruised ego…uh, I mean shin? I can. Who’s surprised by this? My friends & family, I’m certain. But also me.

I have been addicted to this football not-so-American that has united the rest of the globe (except maybe France & Italy). So today as I prepared to head outside for a jog, trying to convince myself that I could live without seeing the result of the Brazil-Portugal match, I found myself procrastinating inside: one more set of pushups, another set of running on the stairs, a few more stretches. Until finally the second half erupted. And it hit me: there are NO fat footballers (unless you count several of the Football Americans).

As I regarded the inches I can easily pinch in the mirror that is so not my friend, I decided to challenge myself: could I run in place for a solid 45 minutes, plus whatever time the refs added to the clock?

I am happy to report I did it. Fifty minutes. In place. While also yelling at the television (my son will corroborate this), which was muted since I only get the Spanish channel during these games (shame on you, ESPN*, for not gracing the cheapest of us with seeing the games via our cable “providers”). Paul Simon’s Graceland and a little Metallica kept me running the “distance.” And engrossed as I was in the game, I hardly noticed the clock. (Well, that last part might be a wee bit of a lie.)

And so I have my new workout routine. Until July 11. After that I guess I’ll have to return to the trail. Or maybe I’ll give the pitch a go. As long as you promise not to laugh.

* But thank you, ESPN, for making it possible to stream the English version on my Mac.