I ordered a new pair of running shoes on the second day of this month and today, only three weeks later, I received them. I was expecting to wait six weeks for delivery. I ran more than 800 miles on my previous pair, which have been the most comfortable running shoes I’ve had throughout my term. The upper cloth of the shoes tore about one month ago and I wasn’t sure whether they would last until my new shoes were delivered. I ordered the same model.
One of my friends here at Taft Camp, Steve, asked about my fitness routine. He thought my compulsion to run every day was an obsession that could lead to injury. Fitness has been an integral part of my prison adjustment ever since the beginning, but I’ve altered the routine a few times over the years.
During my first year of confinement, while I was locked in jails around the Seattle area waiting for trial, I limited my exercise to pushups in my cell. In 1988, once I transferred to the penitentiary in Atlanta I began training for strength with heavy weights. After I turned 30, in 1994, I began to incorporate distance running into my routine. Gradually through the 1990s I transitioned from weight training to running as my primary fitness exercise, incorporating pull ups and dips for strength.
By 2006, when I turned 42, running longer distances became more therapeutic for me. I was approaching my 20th consecutive year in prison, meeting young prisoners who were born after I started my term, and running helped clear my mind of the life and opportunities that imprisonment had blocked me from. While running I could think about the future I wanted o build rather than dwell on what I had missed.
In 2007, when I transferred to Taft Camp, I began running with fewer days off for rest, and on December 12, 2008, I made the decision to run every day, without taking any days off. Since I don’t run fast, I spare myself the need for recuperation. I run 10 miles every day except Fridays, my scheduled visiting days with Carole, when I run only three miles. By running 63 miles each week, I feel better physically and mentally, as if I’m running closer to home.
Some of the commitment may seem obsessive, but the steady exercise helps me keep a positive attitude, and I feel a sense of control over a portion of my life. I’m glad I received a new pair of running shoes today that will last me through the next 800 miles.
[consecutive running log: 3,090 miles in 346 days]
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