The rebirth started in the fall,
The sport of hockey crept back into my life. As a young kid I was obsessed with hockey and for some reason all the passion and love of the sport came rushing back to me as I began following the game again.
Of course anyone who really loves a sport, also loves to play it. Hockey was no different. So the early fall of last year I began forming a roller hockey club at IU with other diehard hockey fans. Eventually we were playing 2-3 times a week whether it rained, snowed, or was 20 degrees. It didn't matter, as long as our goalie showed up and there was a hockey ball we played.
Of course playing roller hockey requires a good amount of endurance. Now at the time I was going to the gym regularly and had lost a good chunk of weight but I was still lacking in endurance. Hockey made me want to push myself even harder. This included attempting to run.
Running had always seemed to me as the ultimate test of fitness, no cardio-machine or indoor workout could match the sheer primal and visceral experience of shoes on pavement. So I decided to start jogging, which of course was pretty bleak at the start. My 240lb body and unconditioned cardio-vascular system would defeat me
on the track/trail much quicker than I wanted it to. So I amped up my workouts at the gym and played as hard as I could on the hockey court so that soon I could enter the holy grail of fitness.
Here's where my Dad comes in.
I'm home from school visiting my folks one weekend and I ask my Dad if he would like to go for a jog with me. Now my Dad hadn't run in at least 15-20 years (I think?) but I thought I would ask anyway.. I honestly figured it was a longshot if he was to say 'yes'.
I remember the conversation because my Dad quickly shot me down. It was a sort of trained response almost as if he accepted that with his age and work schedule any sort of physical activity like that would be silly. I didn't think much of it at first, but it wasn't long after that as I was started to get ready for my jog that he came in to my room and said "You know... I would actually really like to do that"
So my Dad went into his room and found an old ratty pair of running shoes from his days of when he used to run all the time- sometimes over 6 miles a day! and we set out for the park trail.
I guess that day must have been my dad's version of fitness re-birth. He realized that even being 60 years of age he could could still run. He was a shell of his former self in terms of how far he could run, but could still do it! After all those years he still had that spark of passion for an activity he used to love. Ever since that day my Dad has been running. He usually runs around the Ossian park trail and hes actually worked himself back up to being able to do 4 miles without stopping, a feat that continues to impress me and take pride in him. He might not say it, but I think hes pretty damn proud too of how far hes come and how long hes kept it up.
Since I've been home for the summer I've had the pleasure of sharing his experience and building my own fitness greatly. In June my Dad told me about a work incentive at his factory that encouraged participating employees to walk 90 miles in 90 days. Dad brought it up in casual conversation, one of many seminar's he attends at his work to kill 15 minutes of time that isn't spent on the factory floor.
As we went around the track that day I got to thinking that this 90 miles in 90 days could be something that Dad and I could do together as a father son activity that would also help us accomplish our goals. My dad joked that the prize is probably nothing more than a pat on the back and a sticker with his factories logo, but still.. it seemed to me like a great opportunity.
So we started it, each keeping track of our own miles since we often log miles at different times. Still it remains very much a shared activity. Along the way I've increased my physical condition greatly-- reaching fitness goals I almost never dreamed of. In fact when I first started attempting to lose weight and get in shape 2 years ago I remember walking the park trail because I was too out of shape to do anything else, and I kept thinking I can't wait until the day that I'm no longer too encumbered and out of shape so that I can run around this whole track without stopping. Today I can very proudly say that I can successfully run that track in under 12 minutes. Along with shedding even more pounds I've also increased my endurance significantly which has very much aided my hockey playing abilities.
As for Dad, I'm pretty sure it's been somewhat a piece of cake. I'm honestly not sure exactly how he does it. He works 40+ hours a week laboring in a hot factory and he still finds time to log a sizable handful of miles each week (running most of them) When our schedules have allowed us to run together it has been a great experience. My dad makes me laugh every time with his quirks, such as the fact the he feels the need to say hello to every single person that we encounter on our course. If he sees someone walking a dog, he always says "watch out, it'll bite your leg off" whether the dog is a Poodle or a German Shepard, it gets some curious looks sometimes but my Dad doesn't care. He comes from an era where apparently everyone was always neighborly and friendly... perhaps society would be better if everyone were still like that.
I finally convinced my Dad to buy a new pair of running shoes, since his were old and worn and it didn't take a running expert to guess that they probably weren't good for his joints. It took some pestering on my part but he finally decided to do it and I'm extremely proud he did. Not just because he works so hard and doesn't see a ton of payoff, but simply because it was a full on acceptance that running had once again become a true hobby for him. He had regained something that he lost earlier in life and he didn't want it to slip away from him again.
I hope nothing changes, Together Dad and I have both decided collectively, but in different ways that some things in life are worth being passionate for. Even if it means starting over at 20+ or 60+ it is never too late to do what you love.
I hope I can share many more miles with him
Sam
