Jumping Hurdles

About a thousand years ago when I was in high school I remember going to track meets and watching the hurdlers and being in awe. I tried it once. Once was enough to realize that while some people can leap over them with ease, they seem to have been designed solely to trip me up.

I no longer long to be on the track team. Ok, let's be honest: a fast-paced walk is about the end of my athletic abilities and running is completely out of the question. My hurdles these days are more in the form of physical ailments than the traditional sort. And right now, I'm face to face with a very annoying hurdle. I've strained my hip, making it painful to walk.

My morning walk at Liberty Park with my buddy Maria was cut short due to pain. The pain was annoying. The fact that it interfered with my walk really made me mad. And I've spent the rest of the day alternately babying my owie and contemplating how this affects what I'm trying to do with Nordic Walking, FootePath, and my own journey to health. In the past, something like this would sideline me long enough to take my mind of physical fitness. Hey, I'm the first to admit I'm a sedentary creature at heart, and easily sidetracked. But this time, I don't want to be sidetracked! This is new territory for me.

My plan of attack is this: Take it easy for a few days, have my talented friend Shell do some energy work/massage therapy on it, continue walking, but keep my walks shorter and slower until I get better. Essentially, I'm going tackle this hurdle, climb over it, in slow motion, ungainly and awkward and I may end up flat on my face in the dirt before I'm done. But I'll climb up, dust myself off, and keep going, poles in hand. This time, I'm not quitting.

Happy Walking!

Elizabeth