Day 31: Phoning It In

Who says you can't phone it in! I'm in Chicago today for business but got up at 6:45AM to be ready for my "telewalk" with the Alligator. No small feat after having had literally about 2 hours of sleep on Sunday night, and then last night I wasn't in bed until midnight following a super fun dinner at Chicago's Coco Pazzo.

I'd forgotten to bring my ear piece so I was going to have to walk with one arm up the whole time, holding the handset. Extra exercise, I told myself - an arm workout!

By 7:05AM Central, and 8:05AM Eastern, we were off and walking. Since the Alligator lives about 5 long blocks from my apartment back in NYC, she actually goes past my building on her way to work most days. Today I asked her to pause at my door and say hello to my doorman Alan for me. She did and I could hear Alan on the other end saying my name enthusiastically. I did an imaginary fist-bump with him in my mind...like the real one we usually do when I'm headed out to run. It didn't matter where I was - life and training could go on, uninterrupted, thanks to the phone.

While my arms went alternately numb from holding the phone to my ear, the Alligator and I caught up on life. I did feel a twinge of guilt about the noise pollution I was creating in the gym, but most of the folks down there were wearing iPods and the ones who weren't didn't seem bothered; or at least that's what I told myself.

After an hour, the phone was dangerously sweaty and my arm was practically shaking from holding it up for so long. Who knew a 1/4 lb "weight" could provide such resistance. I asked the Alligator if she thought I could electrocute myself by holding a wet phone next to my head. Neither of us knew the answer; so, to err on the side of caution, we agreed I should probably hang up.