Many of you may know that both Ben and I have a past with running. We've logged a couple hundred miles of training, three marathons, three half-marathons and several 10K's between the two of us. Knowing, then, what kind of shape we've been in, and what "shape" we're in now, we're seeking resolution and working towards the former. Having this sedentary lifestyle as we know it in trucking, it is easy to just continue sitting--but, we are tired of it being easy, because in reality, that's hard.
In June, we both applied for term life insurance, which included as part of the processing a physical exam. We had Nurse Nancy and her husband Jack come to our home and do a thorough medical history, blood and urine samples, and height and weight measurements. That was all the kick-start we needed (do not worry; everything else is completely normal--we just added a few pounds) to get into gear and "healthy-up".
Since then, we have made it a point to get out and run at least every two days. This has certainly been a challenge for us with time constraints, hot weather, and lack of motivation. But--we have done it! And we have loved it! A great help to our endeavor is several of the company terminals have work-out rooms with treadmills. Sometimes they have only one treadmill, so Ben will run and I'll do yoga for 30 minutes. It has been a great way to sweat out stress, feel better physically, sleep easier at the end of our shifts, and tone up our trucker bodies.
This has also inspired us to search a little further off the beaten path for places to run. We found the Rogue River State Park Rest Area near Grants Pass, OR last week, and enjoyed a 2 mile stretch along the river. In Santa Rosa, NM there is a great length of road right by a truck stop that we've run on a couple times now (and watching the sunrise up over the mesa in the east is quite a beautiful sight!). The terminal in Lincoln, NE has been a frequent stopping point for us with their work-out room, and the terminal in Markham, IL (Chicago) also has a couple of treadmills. Laramie and Evanston, WY have also provided us with some nice trails, and we've made our own routes in Mountain Home, ID and Dunnigan, CA.
When we are home in Bend, we try to maximize our opportunity in the land-of-the-outdoor-enthusiast. Pilot Butte (2 miles round trip, 460 feet up) is right outside our front door, the river trail loop (3 miles), and a myriad of other hikes keep us busy and our heart rates elevated.
Do you live near an interstate and know of a running path? Let us know, and if we're ever in your area, we'll stop to take advantage!
1 comment:
Nice to see that u 2 are a few of the truckers out there that are willing to stay in shape despite what the truckin industry is percieved as. If u get out to Wyoming there is usually a lot of room to run at the rest areas and u can watch the praire dogs when your done. Run long, drive safe, and GOD bless!!
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