Running commentary

While the people of Central Oregon are experiencing balmy weather, dubbing the last month as "Juneuary," winter still has a hold on the Korean peninsula, where I live. We have had a month of days in which the temperature seldom pushed out of the mid-30s and just enough snow to keep everyone wary of icy spots when out running or walking.

Normally, cold weather would not bother me one bit, but about 10 days into my New Year's resolution of running more, I developed a muscle strain in my calf that simply refuses to leave me alone, forcing me to find other types of exercise until I can run again. The knot in my calf is so persistent, I have actually given it a name. I asked my wife to describe what it felt like when she tried to rub it out with massage. She said, "It's sort of just a general lump." So, now I refer to the knot as "General Lump."

My second-favorite form of exercise is biking, but the wind chill I would experience right now makes that more than just a hypothermic issue. Numb extremities aside, the hidden patches of ice on the paved bike paths take the joy and freedom of riding away.

Where does that leave me? Thankfully our school has a very well-equipped fitness center that has free weights, stationary bikes, elliptical machines, and other devices designed to keep people strong and healthy. I should be glad to have this option, but to be honest, I feel like a gerbil on a wheel in a cage riding the stationary bike for an hour.

Still, it truly is my only real option since there is no swimming pool nearby, so I have tried to make the best of it by distracting myself during workouts to help the time go by quicker.

Today, I listened to an entire episode of "A Prairie Home Companion" while cycling to nowhere. Garrison Keillor and his musical guests truly did help me enjoy the otherwise monotonous experience, so I will likely continue that practice via podcasts saved on my iPhone. I have done the same with TED Talks recently. If the injury lingers and I am relegated to the indoors, I will have to download a book or two. Perhaps if I find a really good one I will keep pedaling to finish just one more chapter.

Another time at the fitness center, I talked on the phone with my daughter Erin, who is living in Detroit, Michigan, and preparing to hike the Pacific Crest Trail beginning in April. Since I hope to join her for a few days when she passes near Sisters this summer, I have told her that I need to lose more of my "frontpack" so that I can be more prepared to carry a backpack this summer. She has become a good cheerleader for me to maintain some form of exercise even if I can't run.

Despite sort of accepting the enclosed exercise, I still check the upcoming weather each morning, looking for the day when it is warm enough to ride my bike outside so I don't have to continue the "pretend" biking indoors. The forecast this week shows highs around 45 degrees, so I may escape from drudgery soon.

I expect that the folks in the Sisters area will still face some winter weather. I just hope it doesn't come in June when I return. I guess that would be a "Juneuary" of the opposite sort than is happening now. Either way, I sure hope General Lump doesn't make the trip home with me.