Lethargy

My body is slowly adjusting to the +6 time zone despite a little set back last week.

I’m convinced the alcohol- and smoke-free body has much to do with that although I’m also convinced that my eating habits need to change considerably. As I ramp up my exercise, I’m finding myself increasingly tired throughout the day. If I lay my head down at all, I’m out for an hour or two. Unconsciously out. Exhausted.

I’ve been reading up on nutrition – because it’s either that or work – and what I keep coming back to is this simple phrase: eat like you’re poor.

No more canned foods or processed food that has the “goodness” stripped out of it. Nothing super fancy or overly ambitious. Just a simple diet consisting of staples. (For instance: instead of packing Goo and Cliff bars on my run, I’ll be cooking up rice and vegetables, wrapping them in small tortillas and tin foil and packing them in my bag. Ultra runners use this as a healthy alternative. Sounds yummy to me.)

I’m tired of feeling tired although I know some of this stems from the fact that I’m shocking my body back into action after such a long, dormant period. It’s not entirely fair to expect an instant turn-around. (I am 38 years old now.)

I’ve already been packing away fruits, vegetables and rice while here, plus lots of granola and yogurt. It’s hard, though, in a country where you don’t speak the language. I’m at the mercy of the world around me (to the extent that any of us are at the mercy of anything). So for the first time in all my years of traveling, I find myself anxious to get home. To take back control of my body. To re-energize myself.

Once I return, I’m purchasing a pair of Vibram Five Fingers, the “shoe” for barefoot runners (to ensure you don’t accidentally get a stick in your foot) that discards the harmful padding and brace that modern shoes give, lulling runners into poor habits that lead to injury. I’ll slowly transition from my RunTex shoes to the more natural foot.

Plus, I’ve signed up for a bike maintenance class when I get home. It’s time to get that road bike back on the road. I’ve tracked down the pool at Ball State (which wasn’t hard, but I hadn’t been looking). And you can follow my race countdown at the bottom right of this page (2 half marathons, a 10-k and a trail marathon before the end of the year, a road marathon in April).

After all, this is The Year of Health.