The muscle pain from running four miles for the first time in over a year is expected, but present all the same. It feels great to run outdoors around Lake Merced again, breathing fresh air as I train aerobically. It has taken this long for me to return to running because I was never going to run outside with a mask on. Heavy breathing through multiple layers of cloth just doesn’t feel right. So I had to wait until I was both fully vaccinated, and for a time when not wearing a mask outdoors becomes socially acceptable in this liberal utopia of ours.
I am happy to report that it was rather easy to pick back up the old habit. I can’t say for sure that I didn’t gain any COVID weight, but my stamina has not waned that much, if at all. I completed the loop around the lake at my usual pace, surprising even myself that I didn’t lose a step, or become overly tired from the (more than) one year hiatus. To this I owe to keeping a regular workout schedule at home throughout the pandemic, and the fact I now walk to work on the regular.
It would not be wise to then on the next day go wash the car, what with the muscle aches and everything. However, that is exactly what I did. My BMW M2 hasn’t seen the cleaning side of a microfiber towel since January, which is insane now that I am typing this out on the first of June. A white-colored car parked outside attracts all the dust and plant fallout that our neighborhood has to offer. The M2 really deserves to be detailed more often, but that’s contingent upon me to not be lazy.
What happened? Back in my twenties I would consistent wash my car once every two weeks. Having a clean and tidy car - inside and out - is something of a prideful point for me. Driving a freshly washed car just feels different and awesome. It’s completely due to laziness that I’ve stepped away from this consistent habit. That said, going four months in between wash is unacceptable. I need to pick back up the pace.
Running and cleaning the car: things I’m endeavoring to start doing constantly again. Wish me luck.
Russian gangster.