I admit. Progress has been slow.

First, the whole treadmill thing has me in a bit of a bind. It works. Sporadically. But sporadically is more akin to frustration when one is depending on something for sheer reliability. I was spoiled by the gym. Those high-end treadmills leave one with something to be desired in the realm of home-quality fitness equipment.

So, I bought some new runners — as the old pair were getting old and are inadequate to the task — and have been weather-watching for opportunity to get out on the streets. It’s not the cold. It’s the ice on the sidewalks that slows me down.

First outing, with the dog in tow, netted a wheezing one klick. Sad. My goal remains the same, but I’m sub-goaling it up to the point where I can join a running class when the new RunningRoom location opens up a few blocks away in April. I’m thinking the “Learn to Run 5K” class would be a good start.

And, speaking of fitness… A couple weeks in the continuing Tai Chi class has me a little flustered. I can’t say anything bad, but I’m unsure if I’m enjoying the “next level” as much as I enjoyed the beginner class. The teaching style is… uh… different, and I’m not feeling as engaged. To clarify, over my Tai Chi career spanning back all the way to high school I’ve had seven different instructors. Two in my first round. Three in the second round. Two again, this attempt. I’ve got high expectations, I know. But I’m just not enamored with the current instructor’s style. I’m not saying it’s bad. I’m just not buying into it this round. And, of course, that really hammers down the motivation level and saps the willingness to pay nearly $500/year to attend.

Like anything, you can enjoy the subject all you want, but if the teacher doesn’t do it for you then you’re out of luck. I have high expectations, I guess. And, alas, I’ve paid up for March so I’ll see how things go.