As always, we're heading to Mardi Gras in Mobile today. So excited! It will be a short trip this year. We are actually flying to Pensacola instead of Mobile, and will head to the airport in about an hour. We'll get to hang out with my best friend (and her husband and her twins and her sister and her parents and her sister's boyfriend and her parents' friends and some other people I knew from law school).
I'm not keen on eating or drinking a ton -- my waistline would not appreciate that. And I don't think I'll be running much. After a couple years of not drinking much on Friday night and attempting a long run on Saturday morning, I've pretty much given up -- too hard to do a lot of miles Saturday morning then spend the day on my feet and then spend the night on my feet dancing in ridiculous heels. I'll settle for about 5 miles if I can swing it, which isn't really enough to begin to combat any of the food or drink that usually comes with this trip.
But it's one weekend and should be tons of fun. Things will get back to normal on Monday. I haven't given any thought to what I want to give up for Lent.
Maybe my car to work? I was just saying I'm making a plan to get back to my running commute, maybe I could just hit it hard starting on Wed? Either way, besides whatever I give up, I want to add in extra community service again.
Friday, February 28, 2014
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Return of the Running Commute Delayed
Yesterday was supposed to be my first day back to a regular running commute. My grand plan was to do one day this week, two days for the next couple weeks, then bump it up to the prior 2.5 days on weeks when we were able to work out the car logistics.
Since I'm not going to the Italian conversation group for a couple more months, car logistics are a bit more complicated. I can't run home on Thursday nights since I have to take my laptop, dirty laundry, garment bag and lunch stuff with me. And if I'm not going to the Italian conversation group, hubby can't pick me up on his way there.
So I made peace with the fact that I might have to drive some Thursdays, at least until May, when I'll probably go back to the conversation group. (As an aside, I'm contemplating undertaking formal lessons at a Mandarin Chinese school later this year as well!)
I figured Wednesday was the day this week since it would be convenient particularly on my way home. I'm trying to go to the Wednesday night social run for the next few weeks as it's held about a mile from my office and is on my general direction home. The plan was to run to work Wed. morning, then run to the social run, do the social run, then stay at the cafe where it's held for dinner and maybe a beer with running friends, have hubby meet me there, then ride home with him.
I did this every Wednesday last year for the 4 weeks the social run is at this cafe, and it worked out well. Hubby got caught with work stuff one night, but a friend was able to drop me at home on her way after dinner. But last year at this time, my running was fairly intense. I was commuting 2.5 days per week every week and had been since mid-November. Not exactly the same story this year. I have done less than a dozen running commutes I think since we flew to Europe at the end of September. But yesterday was the day. It was going to be the day I officially got back on the commuting horse and stayed on for the year.
But then we ended up with a cold front on Wednesday morning. Not cold like what much of the country is experiencing, but cold enough to make me whine (I think the temp was 35, with 25-30 mph winds, so a wind chill in the mid-20s). It felt much colder since we've had a few mornings in the 60s recently. Somehow after it warms up, when it gets cold again, it feels extra-brutal to me.
Anyway, yesterday morning, we went to boot camp and were happy to be working out inside. We came home, I made breakfast, watched the news, and contemplated running to work. Then I decided to drive. Oops. I just packed my running clothes for the evening, and decided to drive to the cafe, do the social run, then drive home.
Next week. It's sure to be warmer, and it's probably best to go a bit gradually anyway. So instead of dumping about 8 extra miles into my schedule this week as I planned, I'm only dumping 3-5 social run miles into the schedule. Next week I'll do the full 8 extra, and the following week I'll hopefully move to 15 extra. Slow, recovery pace miles, but it should be good for me.
I'm ready to get back in my groove. I hate the way my clothes are fitting these days. I hate that I'm putting 20 miles per week on my car instead of on my legs.
Since I'm not going to the Italian conversation group for a couple more months, car logistics are a bit more complicated. I can't run home on Thursday nights since I have to take my laptop, dirty laundry, garment bag and lunch stuff with me. And if I'm not going to the Italian conversation group, hubby can't pick me up on his way there.
So I made peace with the fact that I might have to drive some Thursdays, at least until May, when I'll probably go back to the conversation group. (As an aside, I'm contemplating undertaking formal lessons at a Mandarin Chinese school later this year as well!)
I figured Wednesday was the day this week since it would be convenient particularly on my way home. I'm trying to go to the Wednesday night social run for the next few weeks as it's held about a mile from my office and is on my general direction home. The plan was to run to work Wed. morning, then run to the social run, do the social run, then stay at the cafe where it's held for dinner and maybe a beer with running friends, have hubby meet me there, then ride home with him.
I did this every Wednesday last year for the 4 weeks the social run is at this cafe, and it worked out well. Hubby got caught with work stuff one night, but a friend was able to drop me at home on her way after dinner. But last year at this time, my running was fairly intense. I was commuting 2.5 days per week every week and had been since mid-November. Not exactly the same story this year. I have done less than a dozen running commutes I think since we flew to Europe at the end of September. But yesterday was the day. It was going to be the day I officially got back on the commuting horse and stayed on for the year.
But then we ended up with a cold front on Wednesday morning. Not cold like what much of the country is experiencing, but cold enough to make me whine (I think the temp was 35, with 25-30 mph winds, so a wind chill in the mid-20s). It felt much colder since we've had a few mornings in the 60s recently. Somehow after it warms up, when it gets cold again, it feels extra-brutal to me.
Anyway, yesterday morning, we went to boot camp and were happy to be working out inside. We came home, I made breakfast, watched the news, and contemplated running to work. Then I decided to drive. Oops. I just packed my running clothes for the evening, and decided to drive to the cafe, do the social run, then drive home.
Next week. It's sure to be warmer, and it's probably best to go a bit gradually anyway. So instead of dumping about 8 extra miles into my schedule this week as I planned, I'm only dumping 3-5 social run miles into the schedule. Next week I'll do the full 8 extra, and the following week I'll hopefully move to 15 extra. Slow, recovery pace miles, but it should be good for me.
I'm ready to get back in my groove. I hate the way my clothes are fitting these days. I hate that I'm putting 20 miles per week on my car instead of on my legs.
Monday, February 24, 2014
Surviving the divorcer
My husband and I had quite an accomplishment at boot camp this morning -- we survived an exercise we have nicknamed "the divorcer."
Thankfully, most trainers don't seem to use the divorcer too often. I'd guess it comes up about once a year. I am mildly concerned that our marital discord may be the reason the exercise comes up so rarely, but in reality, the one time this exercise nearly broke us was so many years ago, there's no way any trainer remembers it, but I sure do.
The exercise is basically two partners facing each other in push up position. Each do one push up. Each clap hands across the middle. Then roll over and repeat. The distance varies, but usually it's well over 50 push-ups covering about 100 meters (hard to estimate from the ground).
So the first time we ever did this, we nearly killed each other. Even after surviving the exercise today, it's hard to say exactly what the problem is. In short, I think it's that our abilities to do the divorcer rarely line up directly on the day we do it. I'm weaker at the pushups, he's weaker at the rolling. So that frequently means that I roll, do my push-up, and then have to hold myself up with one hand in the air, waiting for a clap. That "waiting" time really bothers me because I'm just not strong enough to hold it long. And sometimes that makes me very snippy. Initally, I'm trying to encourage him to go faster, and then getting frustrated if he doesn't. And so then I move into bitching, nagging, complaining, irritated mode.
He's endlessly more patient than I am. So if we do this exercise without the roll -- just push-up, clap, push-up, clap, he has to wait for me (especially if I'm trying to do proper chest to deck push-ups). But does he get snippy? No. Never in fact. He just waits for me. I swear, I don't know how anyone puts up with me sometimes!
But I think what bothers me is that sometimes we don't give each other our best. It's an interesting dynamic. I've seen him work harder with someone other than me as his partner. What does that mean? That he works harder to impress someone else? That he's comfortable being himself with me and more relaxed?
I think I want to work harder at giving him my best me. There's another blog I read, a big one, some people may know exactly who I mean. Anyway, she used to write on her blog a lot about how she never washed her hair and spent all her time in workout clothes. Well, for whatever reason, she is now going through a sudden divorce, and one thing I've noticed is that now she frequently goes out in the evening with friends after her kid has gone to bed, and she seems to be washing her hair and getting "presentable" a lot. To tie it back to my theme, I'm about to go get ready for work -- and I haven't washed my hair since Thursday -- yuck!
Friday there was just no chance. I was in Montana and trying to get on a very early flight, so I was shoveling off the car long before the crack of dawn and trying to get myself to the airport on a snowy highway in a car with no working defroster.
Saturday I showered (I ran a lactate threshold test in the morning, blech, but fortunately I saw a difference from just three weeks earlier!), but I didn't wash my hair. We didn't have plans for Saturday night and I figured it was no big deal to leave it in a pony tail to hang out at home and watch more House of Cards. But then plans changed. We went out to dinner with friends but by the time that plan was made, there was just no time to wash my hair, so I chose a top that looked good with my hair up.
But yesterday. No excuse. I fully intended to wash my hair. I took a very quick shower after my "long" run, but I had to do some work, and then I had a bunch of house stuff I wanted to do -- laundry, vacuuming, starting to pack for Mardi Gras, packing up a dress to return, just miscellaneous "stuff." Well, next thing I knew, it was dinner time. I figured maybe I'd just do it after dinner before bed. But sucked into House of Cards. I think we only have 4 episodes left of Season 2? We went upstairs to get ready for bed and I asked him if he cared whether I washed my hair before bed. And he seemed quite surprised I was even considering it, he just said, aren't you going to boot camp in like 8 hours? So, yeah, that's how my hair has stayed in a pony tail and not been washed in three days.
Hardly giving him my best me. But I guess that's always the danger when you feel like someone really might love you no matter what. Even with dirty hair or slow rolls during the divorcer (or when you become a bitching partner during the divorcer).
Thankfully, most trainers don't seem to use the divorcer too often. I'd guess it comes up about once a year. I am mildly concerned that our marital discord may be the reason the exercise comes up so rarely, but in reality, the one time this exercise nearly broke us was so many years ago, there's no way any trainer remembers it, but I sure do.
The exercise is basically two partners facing each other in push up position. Each do one push up. Each clap hands across the middle. Then roll over and repeat. The distance varies, but usually it's well over 50 push-ups covering about 100 meters (hard to estimate from the ground).
So the first time we ever did this, we nearly killed each other. Even after surviving the exercise today, it's hard to say exactly what the problem is. In short, I think it's that our abilities to do the divorcer rarely line up directly on the day we do it. I'm weaker at the pushups, he's weaker at the rolling. So that frequently means that I roll, do my push-up, and then have to hold myself up with one hand in the air, waiting for a clap. That "waiting" time really bothers me because I'm just not strong enough to hold it long. And sometimes that makes me very snippy. Initally, I'm trying to encourage him to go faster, and then getting frustrated if he doesn't. And so then I move into bitching, nagging, complaining, irritated mode.
He's endlessly more patient than I am. So if we do this exercise without the roll -- just push-up, clap, push-up, clap, he has to wait for me (especially if I'm trying to do proper chest to deck push-ups). But does he get snippy? No. Never in fact. He just waits for me. I swear, I don't know how anyone puts up with me sometimes!
But I think what bothers me is that sometimes we don't give each other our best. It's an interesting dynamic. I've seen him work harder with someone other than me as his partner. What does that mean? That he works harder to impress someone else? That he's comfortable being himself with me and more relaxed?
I think I want to work harder at giving him my best me. There's another blog I read, a big one, some people may know exactly who I mean. Anyway, she used to write on her blog a lot about how she never washed her hair and spent all her time in workout clothes. Well, for whatever reason, she is now going through a sudden divorce, and one thing I've noticed is that now she frequently goes out in the evening with friends after her kid has gone to bed, and she seems to be washing her hair and getting "presentable" a lot. To tie it back to my theme, I'm about to go get ready for work -- and I haven't washed my hair since Thursday -- yuck!
Friday there was just no chance. I was in Montana and trying to get on a very early flight, so I was shoveling off the car long before the crack of dawn and trying to get myself to the airport on a snowy highway in a car with no working defroster.
Saturday I showered (I ran a lactate threshold test in the morning, blech, but fortunately I saw a difference from just three weeks earlier!), but I didn't wash my hair. We didn't have plans for Saturday night and I figured it was no big deal to leave it in a pony tail to hang out at home and watch more House of Cards. But then plans changed. We went out to dinner with friends but by the time that plan was made, there was just no time to wash my hair, so I chose a top that looked good with my hair up.
But yesterday. No excuse. I fully intended to wash my hair. I took a very quick shower after my "long" run, but I had to do some work, and then I had a bunch of house stuff I wanted to do -- laundry, vacuuming, starting to pack for Mardi Gras, packing up a dress to return, just miscellaneous "stuff." Well, next thing I knew, it was dinner time. I figured maybe I'd just do it after dinner before bed. But sucked into House of Cards. I think we only have 4 episodes left of Season 2? We went upstairs to get ready for bed and I asked him if he cared whether I washed my hair before bed. And he seemed quite surprised I was even considering it, he just said, aren't you going to boot camp in like 8 hours? So, yeah, that's how my hair has stayed in a pony tail and not been washed in three days.
Hardly giving him my best me. But I guess that's always the danger when you feel like someone really might love you no matter what. Even with dirty hair or slow rolls during the divorcer (or when you become a bitching partner during the divorcer).
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Chinese Lantern Festival
It's funny that we took our big trip to China in 2012, but 2014 has been a very "Chinese" year so far.
First, we went to dinner in Dallas's Chinatown -- which is to say, a northern suburb. There are tons of Chinese restaurants there, and our Taiwanese neighbor took us to dinner at one she selected. It was delicious!
Second, we went to a Chinese New Year celebration at a Chinese Catholic church with our same Taiwanese neighbor and two other neighbors, and together, we all performed a Chinese New Year's song. So totally outside my comfort zone, but so much fun.
This little boy (age 3!) recited a poem in Chinese:
One of the deacons at the church set aside some nian gou (rice cake) just for me since I really wanted to try it, and we got red envelopes!
Third, we went to dinner with a good friend and former co-worker who is originally from Beijing and now works in Shanghai. We'd spent a lot of time with him and his wife and son in 2012 when we were visiting Shanghai. They were a big part of why we loved Shanghai so much. He was back in the US for a partners' meeting and spent a few days in Dallas to see some clients (and us!). We went out for dinner and had so much fun laughing about some of our little jokes from Shanghai.
And fourth, finally, most recently, we went to see a special exhibit of Chinese lanterns here. We missed the exhibit last year, but they extended the dates this year so we made a point of going. I had planned on going on Valentine's Day, but we were too tired, so instead we went Saturday night. Some photos:
The dragon boat, perhaps the coolest part of the exhibit I thought:
This resembles a stupa in southwest China:
Up close, it's all made of plates, cups, saucers, and spoons. Amazing!
Goldfish, which I know from Grace's blog, are called yu, which is an auspicious word in Chinese!
Love the pandas and the bamboo:
The seven daughters of the emperor:
And of course, since we're in Texas:
A cool view of the moon as we were leaving:
Kind of fun, glad we got to see the exhibit. Not sure what we will do next to keep our Chinese theme going this year, but we will have to come up with something. I'm actually considering starting formal language classes. It's so intriguing, so different from French and Italian (and English).
First, we went to dinner in Dallas's Chinatown -- which is to say, a northern suburb. There are tons of Chinese restaurants there, and our Taiwanese neighbor took us to dinner at one she selected. It was delicious!
Second, we went to a Chinese New Year celebration at a Chinese Catholic church with our same Taiwanese neighbor and two other neighbors, and together, we all performed a Chinese New Year's song. So totally outside my comfort zone, but so much fun.
This little boy (age 3!) recited a poem in Chinese:
One of the deacons at the church set aside some nian gou (rice cake) just for me since I really wanted to try it, and we got red envelopes!
Third, we went to dinner with a good friend and former co-worker who is originally from Beijing and now works in Shanghai. We'd spent a lot of time with him and his wife and son in 2012 when we were visiting Shanghai. They were a big part of why we loved Shanghai so much. He was back in the US for a partners' meeting and spent a few days in Dallas to see some clients (and us!). We went out for dinner and had so much fun laughing about some of our little jokes from Shanghai.
And fourth, finally, most recently, we went to see a special exhibit of Chinese lanterns here. We missed the exhibit last year, but they extended the dates this year so we made a point of going. I had planned on going on Valentine's Day, but we were too tired, so instead we went Saturday night. Some photos:
The dragon boat, perhaps the coolest part of the exhibit I thought:
This resembles a stupa in southwest China:
Up close, it's all made of plates, cups, saucers, and spoons. Amazing!
Goldfish, which I know from Grace's blog, are called yu, which is an auspicious word in Chinese!
Love the pandas and the bamboo:
The seven daughters of the emperor:
And of course, since we're in Texas:
A cool view of the moon as we were leaving:
Kind of fun, glad we got to see the exhibit. Not sure what we will do next to keep our Chinese theme going this year, but we will have to come up with something. I'm actually considering starting formal language classes. It's so intriguing, so different from French and Italian (and English).
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