Exercise

2020

Pen on paper.

Day 18: Exercise.
I know, this drawing doesn’t seem to have much to do with exercise...kind of the opposite. But it does, because the intent of this drawing is to showcase my knee(s). Those lovely joints that do so much but also fuck us over so quickly. A little harsh but the frustration is real. I have lost 60 lbs in the last year or so, started a regular yoga practice and, thanks to COVID-19, I started running again! Huzzah!

I ran two half marathons MANY years ago and each one was miserable. Training partners aside, I hated every moment of running those half marathons. I never found my stride, was never able to run more than 100 feet without feeling like I couldn’t breathe and I could never keep up with my running buddies. It was the pits.

Then I lost some weight and found myself accidentally bounding across a street feeling light as a feather and energized. Fuck yea! That was fun! When we all started sheltering in place, I figured now would be a great time to start running again. So I did and it was fantastic! ...For a week. Not long into running, a small knee discomfort I had developed since December, flared way up and left me limping home. It got bad enough that going up and down the stairs to my apartment became difficult. I was devastated and so frustrated.

I’ve talked to a few people and read up on some running tips and have made some very conscious adjustments that have helped my knee. But over a month in, I still can’t make it all the way around my complex. I haven’t given up but there’s a part of me that’s looking out at the universe demanding: WTF?!

#csquarantart was a 30 day challenge a friend of mine started on Instagram at the beginning of the first lockdown of 2020 due to COVID-19. These are some of my contributions