13. ENDINGS. I have a pile of things that have been growing for the past few years. All these things have been sitting in a growing series of piles that are waiting, just waiting, for me to be done with school so that I can read books *I* want to read, just like a grown-up. Afternoons filled with puttering. Puttering. That's right, just hanging out, enjoying my house, not trying to desperately catch up on sleep and homework assignments.
12. READING. There is an impressive pile of books and magazines I have bought but haven't read, ranging from learning to speak Spanish to Radical Acceptance. Most of the magazines are badly out of date now. I don't care. I'm going to read them anyway.
11. SOCIALIZE. I gave up trying to keep up with people's blogs. It seems terrible that I continue to blather on and on in this one and not read anyone else's. Truth be told, I just don't have time. I only do this because it's therapeutic. After this semester, I'll be able to start commenting again.
10. CROSS-TRAINING. I have Tony Horton's P90X program in a box, waiting for me. I have a doorway chinup bar. And, there is the exercise room that continues to be full of crap, because I haven't had time to take pictures of the large computer hutch and post it on Craig's list, which will open up a huge space. And so on. Also, close to our house is the Air Force base, which I now have access to, including it's nice big 50 meter lap pool.
9. MENDING. I have a pile of clothes that need mending and altering, either by me or Mr. Linn...belts that are too long, and a purse that I love but the cats got hold of that I've been meaning to take to the leather genie over on Menaul.
8. HONEY DO. There are various things around the house that need tending too--that that sprinkler system siphon valve that I am convinced I can replace myself. Oh, yes I can. You think I can't? I am, actually, quite handy. When I have time. But for the past few years, I have chosen to try to work on sprinklers right when they are going off, when I'm dressed for work, only to swear and scream loudly enough for my neighbors to emerge to see what's going on, and ending with me going inside in a huff to change my soaked clothes and dry my hair.
7. TRAINING! I actually had to stage my own self-intervention the other night. I was practically hyperventillating at how little training I had done, and how much I was going to suffer, how fat I was probably getting, and how humiliated I would be. Then I did the whole "what is the evidence for...what is the evidence against...what is the rational thought replacement" and came up with the following:
- I might have lost some fitness. I will get it back.
- I might not be as fast as I wanted to be at my marathons, but I bet I'll finish them, because I've done far more with less fitness. No guts, no glory.
- I can always use the galloway method.
- Soon, very soon, I will have glorious morning runs because I will actually GET TO SLEEP ON TIME THE NIGHT BEFORE. Why? Because I won't have consumed massive amounts of caffeine to get through my night classes.
6. STRESS. I has it. One of the things that is stressing me out is having a grown woman in the house who acts like a 16 year old, complete with the sense of entitlement. She takes and uses other people's things and gets sulky when you bring it up. She sleeps in until noon. Who does that? Sweet Baboo came home one day last week to get something he needed and it was after noon, and she was still asleep.
I think the last time I slept past noon was when I had food poisoning, about two decades ago.
I'm going to bank her first two paychecks until she has two months' rent and a deposit saved up. Then she gets launched. Like a rocket. with a pamphlet to the local women's shelter. Just in case.
5. CYCLING. I've never told the whole story of why I don't cycle any more. I feel trapped on a bike. My ass hurts. My feet go numb. My trapesis muscles tighten up until I get neck cramps and can't turn my head.
I'd still like to do the occasional spring or even olympic distance triathlon, though. They're fun.
So when Courtney asked me if I wanted to ride bikes with her, by climbing Tramway. This is a 800 foot descent over 5 miles, and then climb back up over 5 miles, and I wondered if all my running would transfer to cycling, at least for short distances.
I climbed Tramway faster than I've ever climbed it. My quads didn't hurt, probably because I do all the downhill running that Sweet Baboo has me do.
I feel pretty good about that. I can do the occasional short distance tri and don't have to spend time training on a bike. YAY for easy short cuts.
4. DONE. What I'm trying to say here, is that I'm done. I turned in my last paper. Did you read that?
I think the last time I slept past noon was when I had food poisoning, about two decades ago.
I'm going to bank her first two paychecks until she has two months' rent and a deposit saved up. Then she gets launched. Like a rocket. with a pamphlet to the local women's shelter. Just in case.
5. CYCLING. I've never told the whole story of why I don't cycle any more. I feel trapped on a bike. My ass hurts. My feet go numb. My trapesis muscles tighten up until I get neck cramps and can't turn my head.
I'd still like to do the occasional spring or even olympic distance triathlon, though. They're fun.
So when Courtney asked me if I wanted to ride bikes with her, by climbing Tramway. This is a 800 foot descent over 5 miles, and then climb back up over 5 miles, and I wondered if all my running would transfer to cycling, at least for short distances.
I climbed Tramway faster than I've ever climbed it. My quads didn't hurt, probably because I do all the downhill running that Sweet Baboo has me do.
I feel pretty good about that. I can do the occasional short distance tri and don't have to spend time training on a bike. YAY for easy short cuts.
4. DONE. What I'm trying to say here, is that I'm done. I turned in my last paper. Did you read that?
I
Turned
In
My
Last
Paper.
and
attended
my
last
class.
I have one final exam next week, which I'm totally not worried about. How not worried am I? I put my books up for sale three weeks ago.
3. I celebrated my finish with brie, crackers, wine, and Greek Yogurt. Hey, you celebrate your way, and I'll celebrate mine.
2. I work with a bunch of twenty-somethings. Seriously. And I feel the generation gap, oh yes, I do. Yesterday I was leaving work, and announced I was leaving, and I got the chin bump and Peace out, Misty.
I was like, uh, yeah. Um, bye, see you guys tomorrow. I lack the requisite coolness to chin bump someone and say, Peace Out. It doesn't come naturally to me.
1. RUNNING. I finally get to run again. Just in time for my four marathons in 10 days. Ulp. Tomorrow, I'm on a jet plane on my way to Nashville for a weekend of pain, humiliation, and oh yeah, marathons. I at least will be able to relax, knowing all my classwork is done, and that I'm done with my coursework.
Since my training was sacrificed in most part for work and assignments, I'll be using the Galloway method for my marathons. My goal will be to do all of them in under 5:30 each. I want to try to be conservative, especially for the first two, so I don't completely tear up my legs.
So I'll be slow, but I'm taking the SkirtSports with me, so at least I'll be cute.
....
