An Ambitious Workout Told Sequentially
by Katie Weekley
- Not quite in one sitting, but almost, I watch the entire thirteen episode mini-series, Band of Brothers. Since I don't normally like military movies, I think that is a testament of how good it really is.
- In "Part 1: Currahee" the boys of Easy Company trained by running three miles up a mountain. Every single day. Some of the men were so excited by their training they went back at night and ran again.
- Wow, that's impressive. Inspiring even.
- Hey, the local killer hike is three kilometers. That's too much of a coincidence!
- Too much of a coincidence for me to ignore. I can do this.
- I bet if I set a really solid pace, I can run all the way to the top.
- Okay, maybe not run the entire way. But a brisk walk is almost as good. And it's better for my joints. At least I ran to the quarter-mark. That's something.
- Oops, there's the sign for the quarter-mark. I must have hallucinated earlier.
- My goal is to make it to the top in less than an hour. If I go without stopping, I can do it.
- Halfway mark. I've got to stop. Just for two minutes.
- Okay, maybe five.
- Three-quarter mark: not going to do it.
- I hit the top with one hour and a few minutes if you consider "a few" as "fewer than sixty."
- Not terrible, if you don't count needing to fully concentrate on replacing the mucous in my lungs with oxygen. I'm way too embarrassed to do what I want to do, which is lie on the grass and wheeze.
- I spot someone I know at the top who is quite a bit older than me. He is only slightly glowing, like he might have just run an extra block for a bus. He reveals that his goal is always to keep his hike time lower than his age. That is so impressive I feel compelled to hock a big loogie on his foot but I lack the strength, so I smile and wheeze.
- And I vow to work out more regularly.
- Too tired to accomplish anything else with my day, I can't even think about cooking dinner, so we go for sushi. I almost fall asleep in my Maki. Next to us sit two fresh-out-of-university girls chatting about their promising lives and romantic relationships. I can barely remember to close my mouth when chewing, but still find it funny that I can barely muster the strength to utter ten words during this meal. Enjoy this glimpse of your future, girls.
- I give in at seven o'clock and turn in to bed
- Mountains, they sure don't build them like they used to.
BIO: KATIE WEEKLEY lives on the West Coast where she works in the film industry. Her work has been published in Reading Divas and Green Tricycle. More of her writing can be found at katiexkatie.blogspot.com.
Contact Katie at: katieweekley@hotmail.com
ROBYN WARNE'S STATEMENT: My goal is to create keepsakes that capture memories. Many of the designs are an interpretation of stories I enjoyed as a child and then rediscovered with my own children. Other designs are directly inspired by my children's imagination. I hope the ornaments I am creating will have a personal meaning to those who collect them and make them a part of their holiday traditions for years to come!
Contact Robyn at: r.warne@verizon.net
Artist's Website: http://www.robynwarne.com.