In 2013 I was diagnosed with sarcoidosis, an autoimmune disorder that chewed a hole in my cerebellum, atrophied various muscles, impaired my vision, balance, coordination and consequently stole my ability to run. I have dedicated the summer of 2018 to regaining my strength, coordination, balance, and relearning how to run. I am participating in a 5k run on September 23rd in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This is my training journal. This is my attempt to grow physically strong again.

Write on. Fight on.  

The previous training sessions can be found here, under “Fight on- Summer Training Log”

Time:

5:50 am to 7:10 am

Conditions:

Outdoor- 78 degrees

*This week I’m training in Wildwood, New Jersey.

Training Maxim:

No hurry. No pause.

Training Performed:

1 hour and 20 minutes of walking/jogging intervals. Today’s training also included:

• 80 push-ups
• 80 squats

Accomplishment:

Jogging two blocks beyond the finish line.

Quote I’m Thinking about Today:

“Discomfort is the price of admission to a meaningful life.”~ Susan David

Reflection:

It’s hot. New Jersey ( along with other eastern and central states) are embroiled in a heat wave.

I stood in the doorway divided. The morning heat pressing on my front and the cool air from the air conditioner softly curling across my back.

I wanted to train but why did it have to be so damn hot?  And so I found myself in the simplest human conflict: What I want vs. what the world was giving me.

I love air condition. (My wife and I went two summers without air condition is our car. It was awful. If three screaming kids in a car is purgatory, then three screaming in a car without air condition is pure hell on wheels.)

The thing about air condition is that makes us comfortable. It soothes and pacifies us. However air condition is addictive–I want to be comfortable all the time.

But what about all those people who live and worked and sought their dreams long before 1902, when Willis Carrier fulfilled his own dream of inventing the air conditioner? How did anyone accomplish anything before 1902?

When our goals and aspirations are out there sizzling in the unair conditioned world, let us remember that people have been achieving their dreams long before 1902 and that sometimes achieving a dream requires the discipline to close the door behind us and step out into the heat.

From The Previous Training Session-July 4:

During training I visited the Wildwood Vietnam Memorial.

If you’re ever in need of perspective (which I am, which we all are) I suggest visiting a war memorial. It’s humbling. It reminds how fleeting and precious your life is.