If the Peloton people spy on me through the machine when I’m biking, this is what they see.

(Sunday Paper, Year VI, Issue 19)

When I think about being in ‘the best shape of my life’ I always go back to roughly the year 2000 or 2001.

I worked at a TV station in Boston and we had a gym membership discount and when I worked a shift during the day I would be up early, pack a bag, head in, work out, shower at the gym, and then go to work.

You know, like normal people do - or did, anyway, in the old days.

It was a new thing for me back then and it’s not something I did for very long or much more in my life. (There was a brief stretch where I did this when I was teaching.)

But I felt really healthy back then doing that and I felt strong and I think that was the period - oh so long ago and at such a young age - where I was in the best shape of my life.

Now here we are, 20-plus years later, and I’m going to run a marathon.

I am thinking about my physical prime because I am aware I’m past it right now.

I’ll be 43 in July. Things are a little creakier than they used to be.

I like to cross my legs when I sit and work sometimes - but if I do that for too long my legs feel weird. Sometimes my knees hurt. Sometimes I sneeze and I knock things out of whack. I have, on more than one occasion, hurt myself by walking into something and banging my toe or my knee or other body part.

I am aware of these things, and I am working to limit any issues.

I try to sit with very good posture so my legs don’t cramp or feel weird.

I try not to be careless when I walk.

I can’t do anything about the sneezes…especially during allergy season right now.

I think about that saying, “Your body is a temple.” That’s a saying, right? Treat it like you would a temple, I guess? But I think of it as a temple being in tip-top condition…and I left that blank in the title because I don’t think my body is quite a temple….more like an office building? I don’t know. It’s functional, but it’s nothing fancy.

But I’m in good shape. I’ve upped my runs - last week I did about 8 miles, and my body feels OK.

The bike has helped keep my legs strong. (See picture above. Peloton has been such a great resource at this time. And, in case you’re up on the news, don’t worry. We have the bike, not the treadmill.)

I’m doing core exercises and other stuff to keep myself in good condition - and I’m stretching sometimes (working towards always…but sometimes is a big improvement over ‘never’).

All of this is to say, I’m in decent shape right now.

But with a marathon training program beginning as we approach 20 weeks until the marathon….I’m stepping it up.

Because if I’m running 26.2 miles in October….I think I’m going to need to be in the best shape of my life.

Notes

*I’m still figuring out what I should be eating to best prepare my body, but I haven’t figured that out yet in coordination with my grocery shopping. When I do, I’ll let you know.

*I know at some point I was wrong - I forget where. It might have just been talking to my parents and friends, or it might have been in print on the Sunday Paper. (If only there was a way to check that….) But I want to set the record straight about Team Framingham, because the correct fact popped into my head this week: I believe (haha, I guess I’m couching it in case it’s not true) the Framingham charity bids come from the fact that Framingham is one of the towns/cities through which the marathon passes. I think I might have said somewhere that they were given to every town in the state. Not true. Just to be clear.

*Not a lot going on as far as yard work. I was thinking about it this week - it feels disappointing because last year we were so much farther along at this time. But last year was very different. I suppose we’ll get there this year. It’s still early May, right?

*You can always follow me on Twitter or Like the Facebook Page. I continue to post something new every Wednesday - this week’s will be a good one with good news, I can promise you that.

*Happy Anniversary to Kathy - we celebrated our 17th on Saturday, and Happy Mother’s Day to Kathy, and my mom, and everyone else out there celebrating as a mom today.