Such was the accusation that Michael threw at me today when I announced around 2:00 that I was going to take a nap. In my defense, taking a nap after a long, slow, hilly and HOT run seemed like a great idea and an appropriate way to spend my afternoon! Unfortunately, the hefty dose of caffeine in the huge Coke I consumed after the run prevented the anticipated-nap, so I finished reading "King Lear" which is definitely not good nap-time reading. I don't want to ruin it for anyone who plans to read it, but just remember that it's a tragedy, so you can figure out how it ends...
Back to this running business though. The month is almost over, but June gloom has, sadly, passed us by. The days are now sunny and hot, all day long. While I really enjoyed the cooler mornings for most of the month, I also know that running in the heat is par for the course at this time of the year, so I need to just deal with it! Of course, rather than easing into it, I had a long run scheduled today and took the plunge, finishing up twelve slow and painful miles. I'd say that I enjoyed most of the runs this summer, even when I was a bit tired and felt slow. Today, however, I cannot claim that I enjoyed this run. Perhaps this was a good reality check before Vineman? For the first time in a while the run was just plain painful (sorry for the bad alliteration).
It probably did not help that even before I started out at 11:00 am, I was dreading the run! My two-hour class served as a great distraction, but once that ended, it was time to hit the trails, nerves or not. I'm not sure if other people get nervous before long runs/rides, but I almost always do, especially when I know that they will be a challenge. Maybe that's good, maybe not. I'm not sure. No doubt the fact that it was also already hot - or felt that way to me - did not calm my nerves. Can I keep talking about the heat? And starting out with tired legs (what's with this week?) and a very long hill didn't help the experience, but mile 1 actually ended up being my slowest of these many slow miles. I really did expect the run to get easier, and I think that mile 7 felt pretty good, but not much about it was easy. As the run continued, I kept making different deals with myself - that I could run 10 miles, and it would be okay; no, hit 11 miles; come on legs, you can make 12. At my most optimistic, I hoped to run a whopping 13 miles, but ultimately I settled on 12 really hot and sweaty miles.
I definitely did not feel 'good' while running or even right afterwards, but this was a good reminder that I might have to suffer mightily during Vineman. I picked out a tough course for the day - lots of hills and somewhat challenging terrain at times - so that makes me feel confident that I'll be able to handle an easier course, even if it's hot and even after a long swim and a long bike, but we shall see come race day.
I did, however, enjoy the large Coke that I, in a rather impromptu way, decided to get on the way home. I haven't been to McDonald's in ages, but the golden arches beckoned and I couldn't resist - it seemed like a good idea at the time. I'm still surprised that I didn't end up with an entire Happy Meal or at least some french fries, and I probably would have ordered something else, but the menu seriously overwhelmed me. The Coke did hit the spot and gave me enough energy to make it through the afternoon, and I didn't even take a nap!
Although one might be tempting me right about now...
Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
That 'T' word
Training, that is.
After two somewhat lackluster months, which I'd really like to forget about, I decided that June would be *IT*, the month that I'd get my shit together and focus on Vineman. Good thing, since it is, gulp, about a month away - just shy of 5 weeks at this point. Yikes! If that can't motivate me, I'm not sure what can. Fortunately, June also brings with it a summer schedule that is much more conducive to training (and overtraining, I might add).
While it still seems that I'm a bit behind and probably can't quite make up for May and taking some time off thanks to my calf, I am staying clear of total panic mode. My running, after easing back into it, feels solid to me. Some runs are faster, I slog through others, but I'm definitely putting in the miles. I also discovered the Cherry Canyon trails in La Cañada thanks to the Cal Tri Monday run group, and those are just amazing - great trails and wonderful views. I've only run on them twice, but each time seems like an adventure. A slow one, but still!
As always, I can find plenty of gaps when it comes to my swim and bike training. Now that it's summer, I have the luxury of time, so that is not the issue. Rather, I feel so slow doing both which is frustrating, of course. I am enjoying the more flexible hours to swim and/or bike and consider myself lucky, especially in the swim department. Swimming during the day at the Rose Bowl usually affords me the opportunity to pick a lane, any lane, in either the long or short course pool - so, I can't complain about the conditions. While that has been a treat, I am worried about the lack of open water swims that I have under my belt at this point, but I know of 2 upcoming ocean swims, so hopefully that will boost my confidence as July 14 nears.
Finally, the bike - I was feeling quite stuck at the 30-35 mile per ride experience around the Pasadena/Altadena/Montrose area, but on Saturday, Michael and I finally ventured west and biked PCH for the first time this year It had been way too long (since last year - really?!), but he was getting over a nagging IT band injury, and I'm still reluctant to ride PCH all by myself, for a number of reasons. It was a great morning to ride - super grey and a bit damp, but not too slick on the road. As usual, we enjoyed the ride, although we could see and smell the effects of the Springs Fire around Leo Carrillo State Beach and La Jolla Canyon, even on our bikes - the burn area came right to PCH. We headed north, just crossing the Ventura County line, and the return trip south was a bit slower, in part because we did take our time to admire the views, which included lots of surfers and also dolphins heading north! After the ride, I went for a quick run (yay for bricks) and then we inhaled a plate of the best fried food at Malibu Seafood. That was amazing! I'm hoping for a few more longer rides by the beginning of July, so we'll see where that puts me in terms of bike fitness - or just confidence. And, yes, we'll definitely be following the rides with good food and possibly drink.
I suppose the other nagging concern is the weather - as usual, June gloom has made these recent rides and runs pretty enjoyable, but I need to get out in the heat. Who knows what the weather will be like in Sonoma in July, but I'd like to be somewhat prepared for higher temperatures!
After two somewhat lackluster months, which I'd really like to forget about, I decided that June would be *IT*, the month that I'd get my shit together and focus on Vineman. Good thing, since it is, gulp, about a month away - just shy of 5 weeks at this point. Yikes! If that can't motivate me, I'm not sure what can. Fortunately, June also brings with it a summer schedule that is much more conducive to training (and overtraining, I might add).
While it still seems that I'm a bit behind and probably can't quite make up for May and taking some time off thanks to my calf, I am staying clear of total panic mode. My running, after easing back into it, feels solid to me. Some runs are faster, I slog through others, but I'm definitely putting in the miles. I also discovered the Cherry Canyon trails in La Cañada thanks to the Cal Tri Monday run group, and those are just amazing - great trails and wonderful views. I've only run on them twice, but each time seems like an adventure. A slow one, but still!
As always, I can find plenty of gaps when it comes to my swim and bike training. Now that it's summer, I have the luxury of time, so that is not the issue. Rather, I feel so slow doing both which is frustrating, of course. I am enjoying the more flexible hours to swim and/or bike and consider myself lucky, especially in the swim department. Swimming during the day at the Rose Bowl usually affords me the opportunity to pick a lane, any lane, in either the long or short course pool - so, I can't complain about the conditions. While that has been a treat, I am worried about the lack of open water swims that I have under my belt at this point, but I know of 2 upcoming ocean swims, so hopefully that will boost my confidence as July 14 nears.
Finally, the bike - I was feeling quite stuck at the 30-35 mile per ride experience around the Pasadena/Altadena/Montrose area, but on Saturday, Michael and I finally ventured west and biked PCH for the first time this year It had been way too long (since last year - really?!), but he was getting over a nagging IT band injury, and I'm still reluctant to ride PCH all by myself, for a number of reasons. It was a great morning to ride - super grey and a bit damp, but not too slick on the road. As usual, we enjoyed the ride, although we could see and smell the effects of the Springs Fire around Leo Carrillo State Beach and La Jolla Canyon, even on our bikes - the burn area came right to PCH. We headed north, just crossing the Ventura County line, and the return trip south was a bit slower, in part because we did take our time to admire the views, which included lots of surfers and also dolphins heading north! After the ride, I went for a quick run (yay for bricks) and then we inhaled a plate of the best fried food at Malibu Seafood. That was amazing! I'm hoping for a few more longer rides by the beginning of July, so we'll see where that puts me in terms of bike fitness - or just confidence. And, yes, we'll definitely be following the rides with good food and possibly drink.
I suppose the other nagging concern is the weather - as usual, June gloom has made these recent rides and runs pretty enjoyable, but I need to get out in the heat. Who knows what the weather will be like in Sonoma in July, but I'd like to be somewhat prepared for higher temperatures!
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Returning home: expectations vs. reality
So, returning to "real life" has just about brought me to me knees. I consider myself a fairly resilient person who can, for the most part, quickly bounce back from travel, events, and/or a number of life changes without too much mental or physical wear and tear. I worried about traveling to Nicaragua after the Boulder race, but gave no thought to the return from Nicaragua and how that would affect me. Nor did I consider that a twelve-hour travel day on Sunday plus a sixteen-hour travel day on Tuesday would leave me feeling like complete hell on Wednesday. Add to that the fact that I woke up on Monday, my head exploding thanks to a cold. All in all, the week has been a recipe for disaster.
Not that disaster has truly happened by any narrow or broad definition of the word/concept. I, however, have felt somewhat crushed by the fact that my expectations have not unfolded in my return to "reality". In the plan that I entertained, I would have rested well at the resort, eaten good food and maybe even gone on two runs. Then, on Monday, after a long day of travel, I would bounce out of bed, excited that I was back in the States and ready to get in a final bike ride in Boulder - maybe even ride the race course loop as a final good-bye. Wednesday morning, after a long drive from Boulder to LA on Tuesday, I would pull myself out of bed, motivated by the thought of going on a nice run while it was still cool. On Thursday, maybe I would go for a swim or enjoy another run. Add to all of this, I would spend 8 hours a day at school, starting to plan classes and catching up with people, finishing up the summer reading packet with careful notes. I would look forward to next week - meetings starting, everyone back, feel the energy and the excitement of a new year.
Obviously, very little of this has happened. I woke up Monday in Boulder and felt terrible thanks to a cold that fully blossomed. We nixed the bike ride idea and spent Monday running errands and preparing for a long drive on Tuesday. We returned safely to LA, for which I was happy, especially since our car battery died yesterday morning and could have possibly done so on Tuesday. The drive was long, in part because we had a later start than we expected. We locked ourselves out of my brother-in-law's guest bathroom and did not want to wake him up at 5:00 am to help us with the door (we did not have a wire hanger, but that finally did the trick!). Thanks to the dead battery yesterday, we spent much of the day dealing with the car, which was somewhat a relief because it gave me a mental break from feeling that I needed to accomplish X, Y and Z. I did go into work/school, and it was good to break the ice there - talk to different people, report on the trip, get ready to pack up my office and move. Today was more of the same at school, as I boxed up all of my books, papers, files and "personal effects" and moved from one office to another. After a long lunch with a friend/colleague, I was exhausted and returned home and promptly took a long nap.
I realize that I'm still getting over a cold and have low-energy and that I am, in all likelihood, finally coming down from a "high" that has allowed me to get through the past few weeks. Mentally and physically I pushed myself to this point, but the fatigue has caught up to me. This realization does not, however, make me feel much better about my complete lack of motivation, and I hope that a few days of 'true' rest will allow me to re-energize before I have to be back on my game.
At the moment, I am trying to not panic because I've much of this week in a fairly lethargic state. I've tried to hold at bay the annoying little voice that keeps saying "This was NOT the plan". I will have to return to a plan soon enough (Monday morning!), but at the moment, I think that I need to give into this moment of pause and let myself truly rest from the summer. As a teacher, I often try to squeeze every last minute out of the summer months, and this summer was not an exception. I am certainly not saying "poor me, I've had a hard summer", after all, everything that I did was my choice. I will say, however, that it has been full, especially at the tail end, and I am feeling the strain of that.
So, the plan for the next few days is to ease back into 'reality' while also resting. I am going to a spin class tomorrow, and my body might hate me for 60 minutes and maybe for the rest of the day, but my mind will feel better, quieter, less anxious. I will start to unpack my office and will enjoy the summer reading over the weekend (or finish it, at least!). By Monday, I hope that I will be able to bounce out of bed. At this point, my expectations are more in line with the reality of where my mind and body are (tired), but I believe that I will be able to transition to the new year as next week progresses and I return to a schedule. That should prepare me nicely for September 4th, the first full day of class!
*Side note: I really kind of hate myself right now for writing this whiny post! It totally smacks of "first world problems", you know, the I'm-so-important-and-so-busy-and-my-life-is-hell mentality. But I am frustrated that I can't quickly find my rhythm at the moment. It will come back to me, I know, so I just need to be a patient, a virtue that I do not possess!
**One more side note: As much as I complain about returning to reality, I am also incredibly happy to be home. It is great to hang out with Gus and Milo and enjoy walks with them, I am trying to eat as much salad and other veggies as I can to clean out my system (Nicaraguan food is not high in fiber), and I have savored every sip of strong coffee that I've taken!
Not that disaster has truly happened by any narrow or broad definition of the word/concept. I, however, have felt somewhat crushed by the fact that my expectations have not unfolded in my return to "reality". In the plan that I entertained, I would have rested well at the resort, eaten good food and maybe even gone on two runs. Then, on Monday, after a long day of travel, I would bounce out of bed, excited that I was back in the States and ready to get in a final bike ride in Boulder - maybe even ride the race course loop as a final good-bye. Wednesday morning, after a long drive from Boulder to LA on Tuesday, I would pull myself out of bed, motivated by the thought of going on a nice run while it was still cool. On Thursday, maybe I would go for a swim or enjoy another run. Add to all of this, I would spend 8 hours a day at school, starting to plan classes and catching up with people, finishing up the summer reading packet with careful notes. I would look forward to next week - meetings starting, everyone back, feel the energy and the excitement of a new year.
Obviously, very little of this has happened. I woke up Monday in Boulder and felt terrible thanks to a cold that fully blossomed. We nixed the bike ride idea and spent Monday running errands and preparing for a long drive on Tuesday. We returned safely to LA, for which I was happy, especially since our car battery died yesterday morning and could have possibly done so on Tuesday. The drive was long, in part because we had a later start than we expected. We locked ourselves out of my brother-in-law's guest bathroom and did not want to wake him up at 5:00 am to help us with the door (we did not have a wire hanger, but that finally did the trick!). Thanks to the dead battery yesterday, we spent much of the day dealing with the car, which was somewhat a relief because it gave me a mental break from feeling that I needed to accomplish X, Y and Z. I did go into work/school, and it was good to break the ice there - talk to different people, report on the trip, get ready to pack up my office and move. Today was more of the same at school, as I boxed up all of my books, papers, files and "personal effects" and moved from one office to another. After a long lunch with a friend/colleague, I was exhausted and returned home and promptly took a long nap.
I realize that I'm still getting over a cold and have low-energy and that I am, in all likelihood, finally coming down from a "high" that has allowed me to get through the past few weeks. Mentally and physically I pushed myself to this point, but the fatigue has caught up to me. This realization does not, however, make me feel much better about my complete lack of motivation, and I hope that a few days of 'true' rest will allow me to re-energize before I have to be back on my game.
At the moment, I am trying to not panic because I've much of this week in a fairly lethargic state. I've tried to hold at bay the annoying little voice that keeps saying "This was NOT the plan". I will have to return to a plan soon enough (Monday morning!), but at the moment, I think that I need to give into this moment of pause and let myself truly rest from the summer. As a teacher, I often try to squeeze every last minute out of the summer months, and this summer was not an exception. I am certainly not saying "poor me, I've had a hard summer", after all, everything that I did was my choice. I will say, however, that it has been full, especially at the tail end, and I am feeling the strain of that.
So, the plan for the next few days is to ease back into 'reality' while also resting. I am going to a spin class tomorrow, and my body might hate me for 60 minutes and maybe for the rest of the day, but my mind will feel better, quieter, less anxious. I will start to unpack my office and will enjoy the summer reading over the weekend (or finish it, at least!). By Monday, I hope that I will be able to bounce out of bed. At this point, my expectations are more in line with the reality of where my mind and body are (tired), but I believe that I will be able to transition to the new year as next week progresses and I return to a schedule. That should prepare me nicely for September 4th, the first full day of class!
*Side note: I really kind of hate myself right now for writing this whiny post! It totally smacks of "first world problems", you know, the I'm-so-important-and-so-busy-and-my-life-is-hell mentality. But I am frustrated that I can't quickly find my rhythm at the moment. It will come back to me, I know, so I just need to be a patient, a virtue that I do not possess!
**One more side note: As much as I complain about returning to reality, I am also incredibly happy to be home. It is great to hang out with Gus and Milo and enjoy walks with them, I am trying to eat as much salad and other veggies as I can to clean out my system (Nicaraguan food is not high in fiber), and I have savored every sip of strong coffee that I've taken!
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Biking in Boulder
This is the annual "ode to biking in Boulder, CO" post, more or less just like last year when I wax, poetically or not, about how I could truly become a "biker chick" here and maybe take up a few other athletic/outdoorsy endeavors while I was at it. Since that does not appear to be likely (not any time soon, at least), I'll continue to enjoy the time when we do bring our bikes and ride, ride, ride (for us). Since I've started to taper, I can't do anything too crazy, but we've been on our bikes three times since Friday. I believe that is a record for me - especially in terms of sheer pleasure while riding. I hate complaining too much about the "rough" life that I have biking around Pasadena and LA - there are definitely worse places to be! However, it is just so easy here to hop on the bike and head out for a nice, 20-mile out-and-back or a 25-to-30-mile loop along rolling hills and country roads. Plus, while there are PLENTY of crazy, intense cyclists around, most people on the road seem quite friendly. While I certainly can't keep up with most of them, I've enjoyed Sunshine quite a bit on the trip!
Case in point - on our first ride, Friday morning, Michael ended up with a flat tire (good thing we both practiced changing tires this summer!), and as we stood there fiddling around with the bike, every single person or group that passed by us asked us if we needed help or if we had everything that we needed. Talk about nice! We did have all the supplies and most of the skills, although it ended up that we couldn't do much for the tire because the sidewall blew out. Although Michael had to abort his ride on Friday, we then got up early Saturday to ride with my brother-in-law and a friend of his. Michael, his brother and I were more or less well-matched, but the friend was a GREAT cyclist - it was fun to see him ride! We started with a climb up Old Stage Road in North Boulder. The climb really wasn't terrible, but with the altitude (still, yes), I thought that my heart was going to jump out of my chest! Still, once we hit the first little "summit", the climb continued but the incline eased up and was actually a ton of fun! So much so that I descended part of the true summit to climb a bit more - crazy, I know. And then the descent was even more of a hoot - a long, easy grade with a terrific shoulder so I felt safe the entire time. Ideal! Finally, today Michael and I went along the Boulder 70.3 bike route . We were familiar with parts of the route, but it was nice to ride through the loop once, especially because there are a lot of places with those pesky false flats! It should be a great ride on Sunday, so I am getting ready - and getting plenty nervous!
Obviously, my word doesn't count much to call a place a "Cycling Mecca", but Boulder IS where Team Garmin trains. I realize that most of their cyclists are probably elsewhere right now (like London), but it was pretty exciting to see what I decided *had* to be the team car - or maybe just David Zabriskie's or David Millar's or Tom Danielson's car?
At any rate, Michael humored me with this awesome shot as I posed by the car (in the rain). We had just been to a bike shop to get his tire fixed, so I look like I'm part of the cycling community - or pretending to be a part of it, at least!
Case in point - on our first ride, Friday morning, Michael ended up with a flat tire (good thing we both practiced changing tires this summer!), and as we stood there fiddling around with the bike, every single person or group that passed by us asked us if we needed help or if we had everything that we needed. Talk about nice! We did have all the supplies and most of the skills, although it ended up that we couldn't do much for the tire because the sidewall blew out. Although Michael had to abort his ride on Friday, we then got up early Saturday to ride with my brother-in-law and a friend of his. Michael, his brother and I were more or less well-matched, but the friend was a GREAT cyclist - it was fun to see him ride! We started with a climb up Old Stage Road in North Boulder. The climb really wasn't terrible, but with the altitude (still, yes), I thought that my heart was going to jump out of my chest! Still, once we hit the first little "summit", the climb continued but the incline eased up and was actually a ton of fun! So much so that I descended part of the true summit to climb a bit more - crazy, I know. And then the descent was even more of a hoot - a long, easy grade with a terrific shoulder so I felt safe the entire time. Ideal! Finally, today Michael and I went along the Boulder 70.3 bike route . We were familiar with parts of the route, but it was nice to ride through the loop once, especially because there are a lot of places with those pesky false flats! It should be a great ride on Sunday, so I am getting ready - and getting plenty nervous!
Obviously, my word doesn't count much to call a place a "Cycling Mecca", but Boulder IS where Team Garmin trains. I realize that most of their cyclists are probably elsewhere right now (like London), but it was pretty exciting to see what I decided *had* to be the team car - or maybe just David Zabriskie's or David Millar's or Tom Danielson's car?
At any rate, Michael humored me with this awesome shot as I posed by the car (in the rain). We had just been to a bike shop to get his tire fixed, so I look like I'm part of the cycling community - or pretending to be a part of it, at least!
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Road trip take II: Colorado
When Michael and I originally envisioned this summer (back in the fall or maybe winter months), the plan was to have a low-key summer. But then we planned the trip to the Pacific Northwest. And even before that, I signed up for Boulder 70.3 for the beginning of August. And I also agreed to spend time with students and colleagues in Nicaragua after Boulder. Suddenly, the idea of "low-key" summer disappeared! It has, however, been a summer full of miles on the road, visiting family and friends and exploring new haunts and old favorites, which I love. Our first road trip afforded us the luxury to enjoy the time on the road. This trip has been much more about getting to one destination and then another - Breckenridge now, and soon we'll be in Boulder - but we've enjoyed it just as much as our last trip.
After what seemed to be three very brief weeks after our last road trip, we set out for Colorado on Friday. Surprisingly, we started to organize throughout the week, so packing up proved to be an easier task than expected. Even more shocking (to me), we/Michael fit everything in the car, and we probably had some room to spare. This surprised me because in addition to just road trip 'stuff' that we *had* to take (beer, food, wine, food, tequila), we were also transporting two dogs, two bikes, tons of gear and enough clothes for mountains, more mountains, and then tropical Central America.
On Friday, I taught my last summer school "class", turned in student comments, we ate lunch and then left, heading east. It was Friday afternoon-ish, so of course we hit traffic as we headed east through the Mojave. Once clear of Vegas, we cruised along at speed limits of 70 mph and upwards. The scenery also improved, especially as we headed into Utah and passed through the southwestern part of the state right at dusk. Really breathtaking, even when taken in from a car window. We finally pulled into the lovely Motel 6 in Beaver, Utah around 10:30 pm, which was great because we were tired and did not care that we had to stay at a crappy locale (in more ways than one!).
We did appreciate that we were, like the song says, further on down the road when we woke up Saturday morning and could easily push on to Colorado. After a good stop for lunch in Glenwood Springs, we arrived in Breckenridge mid-afternoon on Saturday. Right in time for the afternoon rain showers and for wine, cheese and crackers with my aunt and uncle! The days here have been full of outdoor activities and the nights full of conversations over beer, wine and margaritas. We will head to Boulder later in the week, but for now, we're enjoying our time in the mountains!
After what seemed to be three very brief weeks after our last road trip, we set out for Colorado on Friday. Surprisingly, we started to organize throughout the week, so packing up proved to be an easier task than expected. Even more shocking (to me), we/Michael fit everything in the car, and we probably had some room to spare. This surprised me because in addition to just road trip 'stuff' that we *had* to take (beer, food, wine, food, tequila), we were also transporting two dogs, two bikes, tons of gear and enough clothes for mountains, more mountains, and then tropical Central America.
On Friday, I taught my last summer school "class", turned in student comments, we ate lunch and then left, heading east. It was Friday afternoon-ish, so of course we hit traffic as we headed east through the Mojave. Once clear of Vegas, we cruised along at speed limits of 70 mph and upwards. The scenery also improved, especially as we headed into Utah and passed through the southwestern part of the state right at dusk. Really breathtaking, even when taken in from a car window. We finally pulled into the lovely Motel 6 in Beaver, Utah around 10:30 pm, which was great because we were tired and did not care that we had to stay at a crappy locale (in more ways than one!).
We did appreciate that we were, like the song says, further on down the road when we woke up Saturday morning and could easily push on to Colorado. After a good stop for lunch in Glenwood Springs, we arrived in Breckenridge mid-afternoon on Saturday. Right in time for the afternoon rain showers and for wine, cheese and crackers with my aunt and uncle! The days here have been full of outdoor activities and the nights full of conversations over beer, wine and margaritas. We will head to Boulder later in the week, but for now, we're enjoying our time in the mountains!
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Mid-month musings
As the very brief (two weeks!) summer class I'm teaching winds down on Friday, it seems that summer is slipping away all too quickly. Perhaps it was the trip on the front end of the summer or the fact that I've been so focused on two major events/happenings coming up in August, but I've felt that the days, weeks, and months have quickened their pace this year. Or maybe it's just that I'm getting older? Keeping that in mind, and with Friday being my last day of summer school AND the day that we depart for Colorado, it seems timely to jot down a few things.
First of all, on Sunday, it took us 3 bottles of wine, two different steaks and some over-priced potatoes to celebrate our anniversary. I'll offer up an explanation for what seems terribly wasteful and/or extravagant. Or gluttonous. For the wine - the first bottle we opened was bad, which totally sucked because we'd had it hanging around for a while and it should have been a good bottle - so much for aging fine wine! The second bottle needed a day-and-a-half to "open up" and be drinkable (we drank it last night, not Sunday). But the third time was charm with a good Cabernet. Not our usual choice, but it paired nicely with the steak. As we went through one bottle after another, I did think to myself "I hope that this doesn't serve as a sad metaphor for our marriage!"
As for the steak, we almost never cook steak - and rarely eat it these days. But, we decided that we'd buy a nice piece of meat and eat at home rather than going out to dinner. So, we went to the butcher and bought one ribeye, and the butcher halved it horizontally, slicing it so that there were two THIN pieces of steak rather than two thick pieces. That was nice of him - he wanted us to have equal shares of it, but I really wanted a thick steak, even if the piece was small. Rather than give back the first steak, we took it, and then decided that we'd get one more steak that the butcher did not cut in half. I know, I know... I suppose we could have given the first steak back, but it seemed to be our fault since we did not communicate effectively with the butcher. The steak that the butcher halved is now in our freezer, and we'll eat it at a later date. And the steak that we had on Sunday night was pretty damn good. Finally, the potatoes - we bought them at the farmers' market on Sunday morning, and the price more or less outraged Michael who almost refused to pay for them. However, the potatoes might have been the best part of the meal - they were amazing! Overall, it was a great way to celebrate our anniversary, despite some of the mishaps along the way.
Finally, a few other details that have been on my mind. My students' woeful AP scores? According to someone who has way more pull/influence/institutional weight than I, they are just fine, so I'm going to stop worrying about them. Shew!
On to the training for Boulder topic (ad nauseam) - after a few pretty intense weeks for me, I've started the tapering process. Woo-hoo! Not that I'm tapering 100%, since I still have a few tough days and some long workouts that I'd like to fit in, but after a 46-mile ride followed by a 3-mile run on Saturday, I feel that any major 'pushing' that I do at this point will be too much. One more thought about that ride - even after 7 years of living in the LA area, the weather continues to confound me. We had suffered through several days of warmer temperatures around the Pasadena area, so we looked forward to something of a break in Malibu. But really? When we went on our ride in Malibu Saturday morning, it was a chilly, damp, foggy morning, and it had barely warmed up by the time we finished up our ride at 10:00 am! Of course, once we made it back to the east side, the temperatures were right around 90. On that note, I've made an effort to run in the heat, and it has been slow going! I'd had an itch to run a bit faster, so last night I pounded out a fast (for me) 10K run. I had forgotten what sub-9:00 minute miles looked like, let alone sub-8:00 miles! Nice to reacquaint myself with those speeds!
Not that I'll see anything like that on August 5...
I am reining in the desire to make some sweeping comment about my training or arrive at a premature conclusion. The more relaxed pace of summer has helped me considerably not freak out too much about training, but I also feel a bit impatient for August 5. I'd like to focus on a different goal, even if it is smaller and more modest, and I think that I would welcome the change. I lumped my training for Wildflower and Boulder into one long training season, beginning in mid-January, so I've spent many, many, many months thinking about Boulder, even if I haven't always been training for the event and even if I've had other races on my mind (and legs).
I suppose, what I'm saying, is that I'm almost ready for a loooooooooong break from training and will welcome the change with open arms!
I will, however, miss all of the ice cream that I've been eating these days...
First of all, on Sunday, it took us 3 bottles of wine, two different steaks and some over-priced potatoes to celebrate our anniversary. I'll offer up an explanation for what seems terribly wasteful and/or extravagant. Or gluttonous. For the wine - the first bottle we opened was bad, which totally sucked because we'd had it hanging around for a while and it should have been a good bottle - so much for aging fine wine! The second bottle needed a day-and-a-half to "open up" and be drinkable (we drank it last night, not Sunday). But the third time was charm with a good Cabernet. Not our usual choice, but it paired nicely with the steak. As we went through one bottle after another, I did think to myself "I hope that this doesn't serve as a sad metaphor for our marriage!"
As for the steak, we almost never cook steak - and rarely eat it these days. But, we decided that we'd buy a nice piece of meat and eat at home rather than going out to dinner. So, we went to the butcher and bought one ribeye, and the butcher halved it horizontally, slicing it so that there were two THIN pieces of steak rather than two thick pieces. That was nice of him - he wanted us to have equal shares of it, but I really wanted a thick steak, even if the piece was small. Rather than give back the first steak, we took it, and then decided that we'd get one more steak that the butcher did not cut in half. I know, I know... I suppose we could have given the first steak back, but it seemed to be our fault since we did not communicate effectively with the butcher. The steak that the butcher halved is now in our freezer, and we'll eat it at a later date. And the steak that we had on Sunday night was pretty damn good. Finally, the potatoes - we bought them at the farmers' market on Sunday morning, and the price more or less outraged Michael who almost refused to pay for them. However, the potatoes might have been the best part of the meal - they were amazing! Overall, it was a great way to celebrate our anniversary, despite some of the mishaps along the way.
Finally, a few other details that have been on my mind. My students' woeful AP scores? According to someone who has way more pull/influence/institutional weight than I, they are just fine, so I'm going to stop worrying about them. Shew!
On to the training for Boulder topic (ad nauseam) - after a few pretty intense weeks for me, I've started the tapering process. Woo-hoo! Not that I'm tapering 100%, since I still have a few tough days and some long workouts that I'd like to fit in, but after a 46-mile ride followed by a 3-mile run on Saturday, I feel that any major 'pushing' that I do at this point will be too much. One more thought about that ride - even after 7 years of living in the LA area, the weather continues to confound me. We had suffered through several days of warmer temperatures around the Pasadena area, so we looked forward to something of a break in Malibu. But really? When we went on our ride in Malibu Saturday morning, it was a chilly, damp, foggy morning, and it had barely warmed up by the time we finished up our ride at 10:00 am! Of course, once we made it back to the east side, the temperatures were right around 90. On that note, I've made an effort to run in the heat, and it has been slow going! I'd had an itch to run a bit faster, so last night I pounded out a fast (for me) 10K run. I had forgotten what sub-9:00 minute miles looked like, let alone sub-8:00 miles! Nice to reacquaint myself with those speeds!
Not that I'll see anything like that on August 5...
I am reining in the desire to make some sweeping comment about my training or arrive at a premature conclusion. The more relaxed pace of summer has helped me considerably not freak out too much about training, but I also feel a bit impatient for August 5. I'd like to focus on a different goal, even if it is smaller and more modest, and I think that I would welcome the change. I lumped my training for Wildflower and Boulder into one long training season, beginning in mid-January, so I've spent many, many, many months thinking about Boulder, even if I haven't always been training for the event and even if I've had other races on my mind (and legs).
I suppose, what I'm saying, is that I'm almost ready for a loooooooooong break from training and will welcome the change with open arms!
I will, however, miss all of the ice cream that I've been eating these days...
Sunday, July 8, 2012
More numbers: Four weeks to go!
Well, it seems that I haven't gotten this focus on the numbers out of my system yet! With our trip in June, I did not want to ruin Michael's travels, nor my own, by obsessing about the Boulder race, which is officially four weeks from today. And while the four week mark does elicit a range of emotions, most are positive, especially after this weekend's round of training.
So, yes, here it is: the ubiquitous training report. And a bit of a ramble.
So, yes, here it is: the ubiquitous training report. And a bit of a ramble.
It seems like a long time ago that I signed up for Boulder 70.3, and I trained more or less steadily and faithfully all spring, but for other races, not so much the "big one". May did not motivate too much to focus on Boulder (I had other things on my mind, such as the end of the school year), so when we returned from our trip last Thursday night, I took a look at the calendar and my stomach did a little flip in panic. The trip was not a total wash in terms of training, since I continued to run quite a bit, but swimming and biking did suffer quite a bit. However, I do feel confident after logging in a week that was VERY heavy on training that I should survive the Boulder race, if not finish strong.
The distance is the most obvious concern since this is new territory for me on the bike and in putting the distances together. So, that begs the question - am I logging in the training hours necessary to finish the race feeling strong? Before this weekend, I probably would have declared an emphatic "no", but thanks to a longish run (10 miles) yesterday and a slow but very hilly ride (44.5 miles and over 3800 elevation gain!) today followed by a 3 mile run, I've bolstered my confidence, especially because I ran and rode in warm weather and never felt like complete shit. I thought that I would be exhausted for the rest of the day after the brick, so it has surprised me that my energy levels have been fairly high. I had been dreading the ride today, thinking about the heat, the time in the saddle, and the crazy (to us) elevation gain. We survived the climb, crawling along, and once we arrived at the intersection of Big Tujunga and Angeles Crest, we had a 9-mile decent. This gave our legs a much-needed break but challenged us in a different way, as the downhill is a somewhat (to me) technical decent, especially with the cars and motorcycles that zoom past and the rocks that we maneuver around, trying to avoid hitting them. We had moments of white-knuckling along some parts of the decent, and Michael and I were both happy when we made it safely back to the flat lands!
In addition to mileage, the heat/weather conditions in Boulder have also worried me these past few weeks. When we were in the Northwest, I enjoyed the cooler temperatures. The hardest part about that was that I couldn't decide what to wear when it was 57 degrees outside and I was heading out for a run! As pleasant as that was, it did not help me much to prepare for the heat that I'll most likely have to endure in Boulder in August. With that in mind, I've made an effort to run and bike in the late morning or in the afternoon so that I will be somewhat prepared for the Boulder heat. My first run back in Southern CA last week was pretty hellish as I struggled through 7.5 miles, but I'm making progress. Please note, however, the high today in Boulder is supposedly 72 degrees, so I have NO IDEA what I'll have to deal with on August 5! And, yes, I do wonder if the race will even happen, especially if another wildfire happens to break out somewhere in or around the area. With that in mind, I'm keeping all of my options wide-open (you know, DNS, DNF, finish).
The training plan for the next week is to continue to push without, I hope, stressing my body too much. My next long ride will involve much less climbing, so it will be interesting to see how much faster we are when we are tackling rolling hills rather than a relentless march up, up, up. Knock on wood, but my body also seems to be enduring the longer miles in the saddle and on my feet, one of my major concerns when I contemplated signing up for a longer triathlon. Currently, I am feeling more confident about tackling the longer distances in Boulder, but I am trying to balance that optimism with a dose of pessimism just to keep myself well-balanced!
At this point, I have not had any "AHA!" moments while training about the meaning of life, nor can I use triathlon/training as a metaphor for anything. I have, however, enjoyed that the summer has given me the time to focus on this swim, bike, run thing. I am still slow on the bike, but I have moments when I feel speedier. Also, I noted after the ride today that the back of my legs were sore, not the front, so I'm working on my bike technique in addition to adding mileage. One more plus in all of this - Michael has accompanied me on most of these biking exploits, so we've motivated each other. It's definitely more fun to ride with someone else than alone, even though those solo rides can be necessary too.
The next few weeks will be filled with more mileage, and then some high-altitude training. I plan to enjoy it as much as possible!
At this point, I have not had any "AHA!" moments while training about the meaning of life, nor can I use triathlon/training as a metaphor for anything. I have, however, enjoyed that the summer has given me the time to focus on this swim, bike, run thing. I am still slow on the bike, but I have moments when I feel speedier. Also, I noted after the ride today that the back of my legs were sore, not the front, so I'm working on my bike technique in addition to adding mileage. One more plus in all of this - Michael has accompanied me on most of these biking exploits, so we've motivated each other. It's definitely more fun to ride with someone else than alone, even though those solo rides can be necessary too.
The next few weeks will be filled with more mileage, and then some high-altitude training. I plan to enjoy it as much as possible!
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Summer sports nirvana
In addition to fresh fruit, sweet tomatoes (which are a fruit, I know), lazy afternoon naps, summer reading, and road trips, to me, summer is also the time to enjoy the "wide world of sports". After the annual drought that follows March (when March Madness ends, of course, and then we suffer through NBA playoffs and spring baseball), June brings a multitude of choices in terms of events and sports that I happen to enjoy. This year, of course, is an Olympic year, so that means that our choices just quadrupled about 10 times.
So far, it has been plus/minus in terms of the individuals and teams that I am supporting, and my dedication in June wavered quite a bit. While I celebrated that Nadal won the French Open, triumphing over Djokovic, he recently took an unexpected exit at Wimbledon. That was so disappointing, and I probably won't follow much of Wimbledon from here on out! Then there's the NBA, which I love to hate. Really, all I wanted this year was for Miami to lose, which did not happen.
If I keep up my Tour de France viewing, I might be sorely tempted to invest in one of these:
Speaking of that... Lest it seem that I am turning into couch potato as I keep up with the Tour and the Olympic trials, I have my own plans for the summer of sports nirvana in Boulder on August 5. Depending, of course, on wildfire and other conditions in the state. Seeing as Boulder 70.3 is exactly 5 weeks out, I am finding myself more nervous and excited and have seriously started to question my sanity and my ability, but I have also started to ramp up my training in a big way. While we were on the road, I managed to keep up with my running, and I did not totally abandon biking and swimming for those two weeks. It was, however, great to put in a 2-hour ride yesterday in the saddle followed by an easy 4-mile run. After my bike frustration from a few weeks ago when the chain kept dropping, Sunshine has behaved beautifully, and I've been more than happy on our recent rides together. This is positive, because I have many more miles to go before August 5!
So far, it has been plus/minus in terms of the individuals and teams that I am supporting, and my dedication in June wavered quite a bit. While I celebrated that Nadal won the French Open, triumphing over Djokovic, he recently took an unexpected exit at Wimbledon. That was so disappointing, and I probably won't follow much of Wimbledon from here on out! Then there's the NBA, which I love to hate. Really, all I wanted this year was for Miami to lose, which did not happen.
So, this brings me to today - July 1 marks the beginning of what I am calling "sports nirvana". We caught some of the Olympic trials yesterday, and I started this morning with the Tour de France. Even though some people question whether this will be an exciting Tour this year (Andy Schleck is out; Contador is banned; some riders are more focused on the Olympics rather than the Tour), I don't care. It's the 99th year, so how could it not be spectacular?! After watching the stage this morning, which had an exciting end, I switched the channel so that we could watch the Euro Cup final between Italy and Spain (currently, Spain is up, 2-0). We missed ALMOST all of the tournament since we were on the road and just couldn't follow it, but catching the final game? Why not?!
If I keep up my Tour de France viewing, I might be sorely tempted to invest in one of these:
You can read all about this exercise bike here. Somehow, I don't think that our family budget includes a $1500 exercise bike, so chances that I'll be watching the Tour while riding my Tour exercise bike are slim to none.
Plus, I really should just get my butt on my own damn bike and ride!
Speaking of that... Lest it seem that I am turning into couch potato as I keep up with the Tour and the Olympic trials, I have my own plans for the summer of sports nirvana in Boulder on August 5. Depending, of course, on wildfire and other conditions in the state. Seeing as Boulder 70.3 is exactly 5 weeks out, I am finding myself more nervous and excited and have seriously started to question my sanity and my ability, but I have also started to ramp up my training in a big way. While we were on the road, I managed to keep up with my running, and I did not totally abandon biking and swimming for those two weeks. It was, however, great to put in a 2-hour ride yesterday in the saddle followed by an easy 4-mile run. After my bike frustration from a few weeks ago when the chain kept dropping, Sunshine has behaved beautifully, and I've been more than happy on our recent rides together. This is positive, because I have many more miles to go before August 5!
Friday, June 29, 2012
Bittersweet - Back in sunny CA
It comforted me yet made me a bit sad when I woke up in my own bed this morning, surrounded by familiar details (such as dogs sniffing up at me when they sensed movement in bed rather than the usual sleep rhythm - how do they know it?!). After two fairly long days in the car, Michael and I both welcomed the familiar sites along I-5, such as the lovely town of Grapevine, almost rejoicing when we merged onto the 210 Freeway, and we would have been ecstatic if we hadn't been so tired when we finally opened the door to our humble abode. Milo and Gus did not make the trip with us, so their wagging tails were at attention as they greeted us with a mix of joy and suspicion. For the rest of our short evening, they seemed to alternate between excitement and distrust, glad to see us yet nervous that we'd leave them again. They were, however, quite happy to join us in our bedroom when we finally called it a day, so I think that they have forgiven us for this momentary abandonment.
Regarding the trip - more to come on that, photos and all. It is hard to summarize and to not gush ad nauseum, but it was a fantastic trip - one of our 'best', if I could rank them. Heading south on Wednesday felt like someone was yanking a part of me out, I hated to leave that part of the world that much, as we took our leave of good friends with whom we had reconnected and to whom we had to say our good-byes. That was the bittersweet aspect of the trip, because it made me so happy to see these people and so sad to leave them. Throughout the trip we saw different people, but on Wednesday, we had made our final "visit", so that was the hardest good-bye. Our route on this trip was a bit circuitous - we made different stops along the way as we drove north to Oregon, then snaked our way to the Oregon coast where we disconnected from the world before heading north to Seattle, then on to Bellingham, then crossing the border to Vancouver. Our final stop before the long drive south was east to Leavenworth, WA. The return was, without a doubt, the most difficult part of the trip, as the excitement that pushed us on had transformed into anxiety and impatience to return home. The long summer days suddenly shortened, and we knew that we were closer to home.
That is a summary of our route, but says little about the WHAT - the experiences and the activities. It is hard, for me, to quickly summarize all of that, but I will say that we walked along half a dozen beaches, if not more; ate more than our fair share of excellent, local (when we could get it) seafood, lost count of the totem poles that we came across, consumed pounds and pounds of cherries (I kid you not); perused many a farmers market; fell in love with Oregon and Washington beers - IPAs in particular; stopped to take in one view or another and pinched ourselves when we couldn't really believe it; honed our local pie expertise; drank numerous cups of coffee (and only went to Starbucks once!); enjoyed the bounty of our friends' gardens at dinnertime; and stayed up far later than I am used to on most evenings as we gabbed and gabbed with friends. I would also consider this to be one of our more active trips as we walked, hiked, biked or ran in every single locale that we visited.
Now that we are home, it is easy to return to a pat routine, to get lost in the day-to-day minutiae, to worry about next month or next year, or to focus too much on small details that, in the bigger scheme, don't really matter that much. While this was no Kerouacian experience that involved hitchhiking, the elements and a few survival skills, it did allow us to step outside of the usual rhythm of our lives and to reconnect with several people that we know from different moments of our lives. Being home has its own advantages, as we connect with friends here and spend time with the dogs (and I train for some race), and hunkering down a bit will energize us for our next trip - which will be coming up soon!
Regarding the trip - more to come on that, photos and all. It is hard to summarize and to not gush ad nauseum, but it was a fantastic trip - one of our 'best', if I could rank them. Heading south on Wednesday felt like someone was yanking a part of me out, I hated to leave that part of the world that much, as we took our leave of good friends with whom we had reconnected and to whom we had to say our good-byes. That was the bittersweet aspect of the trip, because it made me so happy to see these people and so sad to leave them. Throughout the trip we saw different people, but on Wednesday, we had made our final "visit", so that was the hardest good-bye. Our route on this trip was a bit circuitous - we made different stops along the way as we drove north to Oregon, then snaked our way to the Oregon coast where we disconnected from the world before heading north to Seattle, then on to Bellingham, then crossing the border to Vancouver. Our final stop before the long drive south was east to Leavenworth, WA. The return was, without a doubt, the most difficult part of the trip, as the excitement that pushed us on had transformed into anxiety and impatience to return home. The long summer days suddenly shortened, and we knew that we were closer to home.
That is a summary of our route, but says little about the WHAT - the experiences and the activities. It is hard, for me, to quickly summarize all of that, but I will say that we walked along half a dozen beaches, if not more; ate more than our fair share of excellent, local (when we could get it) seafood, lost count of the totem poles that we came across, consumed pounds and pounds of cherries (I kid you not); perused many a farmers market; fell in love with Oregon and Washington beers - IPAs in particular; stopped to take in one view or another and pinched ourselves when we couldn't really believe it; honed our local pie expertise; drank numerous cups of coffee (and only went to Starbucks once!); enjoyed the bounty of our friends' gardens at dinnertime; and stayed up far later than I am used to on most evenings as we gabbed and gabbed with friends. I would also consider this to be one of our more active trips as we walked, hiked, biked or ran in every single locale that we visited.
Now that we are home, it is easy to return to a pat routine, to get lost in the day-to-day minutiae, to worry about next month or next year, or to focus too much on small details that, in the bigger scheme, don't really matter that much. While this was no Kerouacian experience that involved hitchhiking, the elements and a few survival skills, it did allow us to step outside of the usual rhythm of our lives and to reconnect with several people that we know from different moments of our lives. Being home has its own advantages, as we connect with friends here and spend time with the dogs (and I train for some race), and hunkering down a bit will energize us for our next trip - which will be coming up soon!
Monday, June 4, 2012
TRD - Total Rest Day
Or "True Rest Day". Whatever. All I know is that today fulfilled my notion of a true/total REST day. The first of the month!
Despite the exclamation point, I feel somewhat conflicted about taking what seems to me to be yet another rest day. Jotting down last week's schedule, I noted that both Tuesday and Thursday fit the 'rest day' bill since I did not swim, bike nor run. However, when I gave it a bit more thought, I realized that Tuesday was "a pack up my gear, head to a camp ground with a few dozen students and some of my colleagues, proceed to settle in for a few days, and then participate in some fun activities such as sailing and evening yoga" type-of-a-day. Restful, not really at all. Thursday followed an evening aquathon and also involved several miles of walking to the beach twice and spending far too much time in the sun. While neither day would qualify as a "good-work-out" day, I also hesitate to claim them as rest days as there was little that I could describe as truly restful about them.
Today, however, is a different case. While I did not laze around in bed, unless the 6:00 am hour is late, I did not have to rush out of the house. A relaxing cup of coffee and breakfast while I listened to NPR's morning edition allowed me to enjoy the morning, even as I finished grading a final stack of exams. I followed that with a lunch out with a few colleagues to review the year - definitely a necessity, especially accompanied with french fries! The evening has rolled around as I sip a Racer 5 IPA and work on a few more odds and ends for the close of the academic year. This seems like the perfect day to acknowledge that I've more or less survived the year!
As the next weeks roll by, I do need to get back to a major training plan. I keep ignoring my proverbial "elephant in the room", that little race in Boulder, CO that is about 8 weeks out. In the meantime, I plan to fully enjoy the rest of the evening before a little swim/bike action tomorrow morning!
Despite the exclamation point, I feel somewhat conflicted about taking what seems to me to be yet another rest day. Jotting down last week's schedule, I noted that both Tuesday and Thursday fit the 'rest day' bill since I did not swim, bike nor run. However, when I gave it a bit more thought, I realized that Tuesday was "a pack up my gear, head to a camp ground with a few dozen students and some of my colleagues, proceed to settle in for a few days, and then participate in some fun activities such as sailing and evening yoga" type-of-a-day. Restful, not really at all. Thursday followed an evening aquathon and also involved several miles of walking to the beach twice and spending far too much time in the sun. While neither day would qualify as a "good-work-out" day, I also hesitate to claim them as rest days as there was little that I could describe as truly restful about them.
Today, however, is a different case. While I did not laze around in bed, unless the 6:00 am hour is late, I did not have to rush out of the house. A relaxing cup of coffee and breakfast while I listened to NPR's morning edition allowed me to enjoy the morning, even as I finished grading a final stack of exams. I followed that with a lunch out with a few colleagues to review the year - definitely a necessity, especially accompanied with french fries! The evening has rolled around as I sip a Racer 5 IPA and work on a few more odds and ends for the close of the academic year. This seems like the perfect day to acknowledge that I've more or less survived the year!
As the next weeks roll by, I do need to get back to a major training plan. I keep ignoring my proverbial "elephant in the room", that little race in Boulder, CO that is about 8 weeks out. In the meantime, I plan to fully enjoy the rest of the evening before a little swim/bike action tomorrow morning!
Saturday, June 2, 2012
June - a time for ends and beginnings
I'm back from the annual school camping trip - annual for me, at least. Some people go on more than one trip per year with different classes, but this is my sole commitment. I tend to feel conflicted about the trip, as it's usually tons of fun, offering a variety of activities, such as a ropes course and surfing, and a great setting, but it is also exhausting - precisely because of the activities and the setting. I return from it feeling either windburned or sunburned or both and physically tired after late nights (for me) and long days spent outside.
This year, everything about the trip went smoothly - kids were great and the weather was perfect (not too hot, not crazy wind, sunny and pretty mild), so I have nothing to complain about. After all, the trip the did showcase plenty of highlights. Perhaps more importantly, the trip offers a moment to get away from work and life - while still working - and think about the year, about the students whom I teach and the school where I work. It also, for me, signals that the year is drawing to a close. There are many endings to the year and this is merely one of them, but it might be my favorite moment to spend time with colleagues and students and reflect on the year. Nothing like early morning walks to the beach to appreciate life.
Even with all of the excitement and beauty, I fully welcomed the return trip home yesterday. On cue, June gloom appeared yesterday morning - after days of lovely mornings, low clouds gathered around the campground and hills and hid the coast, which made it a perfect day to run, even with a creaky knee. And then I was more than ready to return home. Upon crossing the threshold of our house, I dumped out all of my dirty clothes (or all the clothes that I took with me which were dirty, whether I wore them or not), showered and took a nap in a comfortable bed. Civilization at its best!
This weekend, despite grading and school obligations, like graduation, has felt like the beginning of summer. It is a bit warm in these parts, but the morning sun did not welcome us until almost noon - probably because we went to Malibu for an early, open water swim (me) and a fantastic ride on the coast (both of us). I almost bailed out on both of those when, as we were driving north on PCH from Santa Monica to Malibu, the rain started to spit down on us. Yes, I would be getting wet for the swim, but a cold, wet ride did not appeal. Despite those reservations, we were both happy that we ventured west on an early-ish Saturday morning and stuck to the plan. After the ride, we hit Lilly's, a place that we discovered a few years ago just by chance and return about once a year. The breakfast burrito hit the spot - we split one and I'm sad to say that I wolfed my half down in about 2 minutes. While I had to return home to grade exams, it was a wonderful Saturday morning and made me feel that summer is here, whether the calendar says it is or not.
For us, the summer will be busy with visiting friends and family and traveling near and far, depending on one's definition of those distances. I am also daydreaming of afternoon naps, plenty of reading, hikes and walks and afternoon cocktails. The months are full of promise, yet a part of me already senses that the months will pass too quickly.
Still, before the days grow short again, cheers to summer!
This year, everything about the trip went smoothly - kids were great and the weather was perfect (not too hot, not crazy wind, sunny and pretty mild), so I have nothing to complain about. After all, the trip the did showcase plenty of highlights. Perhaps more importantly, the trip offers a moment to get away from work and life - while still working - and think about the year, about the students whom I teach and the school where I work. It also, for me, signals that the year is drawing to a close. There are many endings to the year and this is merely one of them, but it might be my favorite moment to spend time with colleagues and students and reflect on the year. Nothing like early morning walks to the beach to appreciate life.
Even with all of the excitement and beauty, I fully welcomed the return trip home yesterday. On cue, June gloom appeared yesterday morning - after days of lovely mornings, low clouds gathered around the campground and hills and hid the coast, which made it a perfect day to run, even with a creaky knee. And then I was more than ready to return home. Upon crossing the threshold of our house, I dumped out all of my dirty clothes (or all the clothes that I took with me which were dirty, whether I wore them or not), showered and took a nap in a comfortable bed. Civilization at its best!
This weekend, despite grading and school obligations, like graduation, has felt like the beginning of summer. It is a bit warm in these parts, but the morning sun did not welcome us until almost noon - probably because we went to Malibu for an early, open water swim (me) and a fantastic ride on the coast (both of us). I almost bailed out on both of those when, as we were driving north on PCH from Santa Monica to Malibu, the rain started to spit down on us. Yes, I would be getting wet for the swim, but a cold, wet ride did not appeal. Despite those reservations, we were both happy that we ventured west on an early-ish Saturday morning and stuck to the plan. After the ride, we hit Lilly's, a place that we discovered a few years ago just by chance and return about once a year. The breakfast burrito hit the spot - we split one and I'm sad to say that I wolfed my half down in about 2 minutes. While I had to return home to grade exams, it was a wonderful Saturday morning and made me feel that summer is here, whether the calendar says it is or not.
For us, the summer will be busy with visiting friends and family and traveling near and far, depending on one's definition of those distances. I am also daydreaming of afternoon naps, plenty of reading, hikes and walks and afternoon cocktails. The months are full of promise, yet a part of me already senses that the months will pass too quickly.
Still, before the days grow short again, cheers to summer!
Thursday, May 3, 2012
A belated May Day!
I'm a few days late to the "welcome in the month of May" party, which is fine because I was not in much of a welcoming or party mood on May 1st or even yesterday, both of which were grey, rainy, and just dismal days in general. This wasn't an early showing of "June gloom" but all-day drizzle that put me into something of a funk.
Now that the forecast has cleared up and it's Thursday, I feel more prepared to embrace the month and all of its possibilities, good and bad. Since my calf issue seems to be waning, I can spend some mental energy positively thinking about the weekend and the month. Because there ARE more positives this month than negatives.
While I'd like to ignore the elephant in the room and not mention two "W" words at all (work and Wildflower), that would be silly. So, in regards to the first topic, I will say that I feel something of a let-up in terms of stress. I have tons of administrative crap to tend to over the next few weeks, but we're on the downward slide in terms of content and even school days. Because of that slight sense that the end of the year nears, my thoughts have started to wander to June and a trip that we just started to officially plan, after talking about it for the past few months.
As for the second "W" which looms - Sunday is race day, and I'm finally over the mental and physical slump I experienced earlier this week and am now looking forward to it. Michael has reminded me time and time again that I am at a different place than I was last year, in a positive way, and I'm now getting excited just thinking about the energy of the race and how beautiful it is there. I admit that I've also planned out my dinner on Friday and Sunday night, and I can't wait for a nice meal Saturday night in Paso Robles. Yah, we're obviously not camping after last year's aborted attempt!
Not that I'm looking too much beyond this weekend, but there is another race at the end of the month that will be a great way to almost-officially kick off the summer months. Throw in a friend's weekend visit mid-month which will include good food and drink, I think that we are set!
Now that the forecast has cleared up and it's Thursday, I feel more prepared to embrace the month and all of its possibilities, good and bad. Since my calf issue seems to be waning, I can spend some mental energy positively thinking about the weekend and the month. Because there ARE more positives this month than negatives.
While I'd like to ignore the elephant in the room and not mention two "W" words at all (work and Wildflower), that would be silly. So, in regards to the first topic, I will say that I feel something of a let-up in terms of stress. I have tons of administrative crap to tend to over the next few weeks, but we're on the downward slide in terms of content and even school days. Because of that slight sense that the end of the year nears, my thoughts have started to wander to June and a trip that we just started to officially plan, after talking about it for the past few months.
As for the second "W" which looms - Sunday is race day, and I'm finally over the mental and physical slump I experienced earlier this week and am now looking forward to it. Michael has reminded me time and time again that I am at a different place than I was last year, in a positive way, and I'm now getting excited just thinking about the energy of the race and how beautiful it is there. I admit that I've also planned out my dinner on Friday and Sunday night, and I can't wait for a nice meal Saturday night in Paso Robles. Yah, we're obviously not camping after last year's aborted attempt!
Not that I'm looking too much beyond this weekend, but there is another race at the end of the month that will be a great way to almost-officially kick off the summer months. Throw in a friend's weekend visit mid-month which will include good food and drink, I think that we are set!
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Errands, errands and more errands
So, it's hump day! I believe that I now have 2 more remaining until summer ends. I know, I know, I can't complain, so I'm trying to blithely enjoy the waning days of August. Apparently, the newsfolk are calling it "FAugust" here because of the lower-than-usual temperatures. I almost didn't even write that because that might tempt FATE in a big way. You know, the Santa Ana winds will bite us in the ass in a big way come September and October.
Despite not being at work, I am actually trying to stay productive in one way or another. This week, since Michael has returned to work, I am attending to different errands. It's great to take care of some of this stuff now when I have more free time, and it almost makes me feel like a model wife. You know, running errands and tending to household matters.
On Monday, I braved the traffic to the West Side, made it to Venice and then waited while the RackSolid guys performed their magic and fixed our rack. Yesterday, then, I spent hours in the dentist's chair, as they cleaned my teeth and dealt with two small fillings. Half of my face was numb for an hour or so afterwards, but it definitely wasn't a deep filling so I didn't drool all over myself too much. I did make Michael take me out for a Happy Hour beer - we were at our 'favorite' local well with all the over-sixty-year-olds. Welcome to my life.
Today was MUCH more eventful however! First of all, I went to an 8:30 spin class that is taught by this really awesome instructor, Rod. He has to be in his 40's or 50's, and it's obvious (to me, at least) that he actually BIKES. Like rides outside. Because of that, he makes the spin class feel like a real bike ride which I love, love, love. He even uses visualization to motivate people: "You're going through a light and it's changing so you have to sprint through it!" or "There's a big dog chasing you up the hill!". Talk about motivation! The only down side to Rod's class is that I usually want to puke at a certain point in the class, especially when he makes us do lots of wicked intervals. Like today, of course. It was brutal, and then we ended the class with a sprint interval, high cadence but with resistance, and from there we went right into a climb - no recovery from the sprint! It was a brutal class, but I survived. I am definitely going to miss Rod's classes when school resumes.
The 'to-do' item up for today: Get the car detailed!
I swear, we've been talking about it for months, and once we returned from Colorado with our dog-hair infested interior and dead-insect covered exterior, we decided that it was time. Again, since Michael is actually working these days, the onus fell on my shoulders to take it to the car detail place in Pasadena and sit around for a few hours. Rather than sit on my butt the entire four hours, I meandered down to Colorado, where there were a few business establishments. I ended up at Starbucks (or Starfucks, as I sometimes like to call it) and ordered some frothy thing.
The best part about the Starbucks experience? I was wearing a t-shirt from Intelligentsia Coffee, a much less ubiquitous coffee purveyor that prides itself on the high quality of its coffee and on the experience that it gives its employees and customers. So, I ordered my frothy drink thing, and the barista took my order and then asked me "Do you work at Intelligentsia?!" I'm sure she was surprised that an Intelligentsia employee would slum it at Starbucks - it's probably forbidden in their contract. I must have ruined her day when I said "No." For me, it was a funny episode, and I thought about the headline "Intelligentsia employee secretly loves Starbucks".
But, if she had really LOOKED at me, she would have immediately known - I'm way too old and I have zero tats.
Still, it was nice to think that someone might think that I'm cool enough to work there!
As much as I'm not a Starbucks fan, I did enjoy hanging out there instead of the auto-detailing place. They did, however, clean and polish our car, so we have an almost-new looking, super snazzy Toyota Camry. Oh yeah!
On tap for tomorrow: A Costco run. I hope that I survive the experience and that I don't cave and buy 10 packages of potstickers!
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
A few notes on June
Life has slowed down to a fairly luxurious pace these days. My main question of the day is: do I swim before the water polo team practices or after? Usually it's after, which explains the lovely tan-line that is developing, despite my efforts to remain as pale as I possibly can (and that is pale!). Also, after weeks of procrastination, Michael and I got our butts back on the saddle after a month-long hiatus from biking (we do not cycle; we bike). The good news is that the Angeles Crest Highway finally re-opened after a massive mudslide dramatically closed it off about 15 months ago or so. After a bazillion dollars in repair, it's now a great place to bike, if you can handle the crazy elevation gain and the equally crazy descent. And sharing a fairly narrow road with lots of traffic. No super crazy rides for us - but we did gain something like 2,000 feet in 5 miles. That was painful on the bike!
A few other highlights these days:
- Gus is wearing the cone of shame which we find very entertaining! I know that we shouldn't, and we are mainly thankful that he has made such a great recovery. He started to lick the stitches and on Sunday, we noticed that two of them had come out. So, we 'coned' him. He doesn't seem to mind the cone as much as we thought that he would, but he does run into walls and eating is more of a challenge than he would like. He should get the stitches out on Friday, and then he will be a 'free man', more or less.
- I have enjoyed some pleasure reading these days, although I really need to crack a few more challenging books this summer to stimulate my brain cells. However, I would definitely recommend Just Kids by Patti Smith, This Is Water by David Foster Wallace, The Private Patient by PD James and am currently reading Our Kind of Traitor by John le Carré.
- Along the same lines, Michael and I are watching movies rather than TV shows (although we do watch an episode of Law & Order once a day thanks to our DVR). A few notable movies we've seen recently: Mother (not to be confused with a 1996 Albert Brooks film), is a Korean suspense thriller that was sharp, intense and quite bizarre at times; Flame and Citron, a movie about the Danish Resistance during World War II which was good but definitely not great and seemed to want to be a gangster movie at times; Dr. Zhivago, which definitely fits into the "epic" category, all 3 hours and 20 minutes of its sad, sad story; and last but not least, Barton Fink, a movie that I probably haven't seen in 18 years or something ridiculous like that and that I should watch at least once a year now that I live in the LA area. It is SUCH a great movie! Best Coen Brothers' movie? I'm still a sucker for Miller's Crossing, but this one might actually trump it.
- We enjoyed another weeknight out on the town with a family friend who also works in the "Independent School World". We ate mediocre Thai food and swapped lots of shop talk. There are times when I fantasize about quitting my job, but then these moments make me wonder if I could ever enjoy anything as much as working with teenagers, school curriculum and program development and talking about crazy colleagues!
- Mentally packing for our trip to the East Coast! We leave next week for a bit of a whirlwind tour of DC, NYC and Rhode Island. I am mixing business and pleasure as I do have a workshop to attend in Delaware, but we also plan to spend time with family and friends and enjoy the urban chaos of NYC and the peaceful sleepiness of a small Rhode Island beachfront town.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Out and about in LA: LACMA and Umami
I've decided that this past Thursday marks the *true* beginning of summer, after several false starts. I finished up the "College-essay-writing-workshop" at noon, took my lucrative earnings from the 2-day event and went out on the town! It wasn't the most beautiful evening, but Michael and I enjoyed leaving our small corner of the world to head into "the city". Adventures awaited us!
We had tickets at LACMA (LA County Museum of Art) to see the Tim Burton exhibit. I'm always torn in regards to my feelings towards LACMA. Their Magritte exhibit, a few years ago, was pretty fantastic - maybe one of the better museum exhibits that I've ever seen, which says a lot.
Here is the entrance to the no-longer new addition to the museum - the Broad Contemporary Art Museum.
Before our viewing time (6:00 pm), we wandered around some of the other exhibits and took photos. Here is Michael, admiring the view of the Hollywood Hills.
And we finally entered the exhibit! I felt pretty un-Goth and not very artsy-fartsy. The best part of the exhibit may have been the entrance, as pictured below. The exhibit itself? I would give it a B-; the props from different movies were very cool, especially the glove with the scissors from the movie Edward Scissorshands. I admit that I am not a total Tim Burton fanatic, so that probably influenced my experience because a lot of the drawings/illustrations seemed fairly repetitive. It also annoyed me that there was little to no information regarding specific pieces - just general information about Burton's career that different rooms supposedly showed. You know, 'The early years" and then "Early successes"... Why not give more information about his influences? Very frustrating.
Still, I had fun posing for the camera here, trying to be scary and creepy!
By the time we walked through the Burton exhibit and also stopped by a few other exhibits that also lacked background information, we had built up an appetite. Museuming is hard work! We did have time to stop by the La Brea Tar Pits, where they portray a woolly mammoth perishing while a baby looks on. It is a tragic scene, and I shed a tear or two.
So, dinner...
We tossed around a few ideas - tacos, French bistro, sushi... And then a brilliant idea occurred to us: Umami Burger!
Umami Burger is an LA chain that opened up a few years ago. A friend told us about her experience eating there, and we would occasionally think about eating there, but then another place would take priority. Thursday night, however, seemed to be the perfect opportunity for the Umami experience. We headed to the restaurant on Hollywood, the space that used to be Cobras and Matadors, an old favorite tapas restaurant of ours until they changed their menu and raised all of their prices. It went under, and Umami Burger opened up in that space.
The crowd was typical Silverlake - very young, urban with lots of tats. Again, I felt pretty conservative and boring with my fleece.
We each ordered a burger - Michael got the Umami burger, the signature burger, obviously, and I ordered the port and stilton burger. The restaurant chain has quite the buzz because they make high-end burgers and don't let the customer make ANY substitutions. It's also responsible for making the word/concept "umami" as part of the LA vernacular. I had no idea what umami was before our friend told us about the place. There isn't an easy definition, but generally it means "the fifth taste".
At any rate, the burgers were amazing! Michael took a bite of his burger, looked very serious for a moment, and then proclaimed "This is the best burger I've ever eaten.". I challenged him, so he then backtracked a tad and said that it was ONE of the best burgers he'd ever had. I have to admit that his burger had just a small edge on mine, but they were both excellent. The total experience was pretty blissful, and we are already trying to plan another visit to Umami Burger!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
End of the year and thoughts on summer
Before I begin to ramble on - Gus is home and seems to be MUCH better! Poor guy. We are so happy that he is back with us and that he is clearly better than he was over the weekend.
Now, back to the 'real' post...
There is that ubiquitous quote "A picture is worth a thousand words" which at times is true and other times is just a cliché. However, I might agree with that saying when I consider the following photo:
Don't I look so academic? Graduation is now over a full week in the past, but only just now do I feel ready to embrace summer and the opportunities that it offers. Before I move to that topic, I will briefly sum up the school year as one of the best I've had in terms of teaching and administrating (what an awful verb, by the way.... "to administrate". I suppose that "to administer" sounds slightly less managerial and uptight and opens up to a wider variety of meanings, but I really do mean "to administrate"). Leaving the administrating thing aside, I had a GREAT time in the classroom with my students this year. They were funny and sharp, and I felt quite lucky to walk into the different classrooms every day.
The end of the year has sort of rolled to a sputtering stop with all of the meetings that we had last week (and a few that continue to this week). Also, I find my thoughts already wandering to next year. It will be a year of changes and transitions. Different classes to teach (although many of the same students from this year), a new administrative position and a change in office. I have spent a few hours this week packing up my current office, a process that I've made easier by trying to toss out as much junk as possible. I also agreed to help with a "College-essay-writing workshop", a commitment that I almost regret now. It is a short workshop, just two days, fortunately because I have a group that is reluctant to talk and/or reflect.
In other ways, however, I definitely feel summer's pull: Michael and I spend our evenings watching movies until the late hour of 10 pm, we went to an 8:30 am spinning class today, and I am about to sink my teeth into a PD James mystery that I expect to finish by tomorrow. At the very latest. Life is not bad!
There is, however, a brief moment of panic that sets in when I consider the days that stretch out before me. On the one hand, I wonder how to fill my time in a meaningful manner. Usually, I try to schedule summer school, professional development and plenty of other 'growth' activities that will make me feel like a productive member of society. Last year, for example, the day after our last meetings, I left for a conference, and then when I returned from that, I started teaching summer school immediately, and then Michael and I had a rather epic trip. This summer, while I do have one workshop scheduled, it doesn't seem overly intense, and the same can be said for our travel schedule. I believe that the free time that looms ahead scares me just a bit. Again, the thought "How to fill this time meaningfully" jangles around in my head.
And maybe that is the point? It will be an interesting experiment to see how happy, relaxed, or uncomfortable I feel with so much free time and a more open summer schedule.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Summer's delay!
Seemingly...
Of course, if we consider the 'true' calendar definition of summer, June 21 or something like that, then there is no delay. However, I wrapped up my last day of meetings on Wednesday and fully expected to bounce out of bed on Thursday, wiggle my toes, and suddenly feel the thrill of summer as it unfurls.
There have been a few glitches in this idealized world of mine, however.
First of all, I do still have some work that I need to focus on. I finished up one or two items on Thursday and even had a phone call from work to me at home (WTF?!). This next week, I will help out with a workshop, and eventually I have to pack up my office so that I can move to another space. Joy oh joy!
Then, there is the case of the weather. While I understand that other parts of the country are suffering through record heat and I have no grounds for complaints, the "June gloom", typical of this time of year, has NOT been burning off by mid to late morning. Instead, it hugs tight to the San Gabriels until about 4:00 or 5:00 pm. These gray days leave me feeling seriously unmotivated to bike or hike!
Finally, we've had a serious household crisis around here in the form of one of our dogs' health. We adopted two mature dogs a few years ago, so we knew what we were getting into, more or less, in terms of many years together. However, that knowledge really didn't prepare me for the reality of dealing with a major health scare. After 2 trips to the vet in 24 hours, our dog Gus is feeling somewhat better, but we will be taking him to clinic again on Monday for surgery which we hope will be uncomplicated. This incident has scared Michael and me, and I've shed plenty of tears because of worry, panic and assuming the worst. Gus has stones in his bladder, but one has blocked his urethra, more or less, and that has made this a much more serious situation than it would be. He is on major pain pills and to describe him as "low energy" would be an overstatement. Somehow, his low energy seems to have infected the entire house - we are all on alert, in one way or another, and I feel like talking to Michael only in whispers so that we don't disturb poor Gus.
The surgery also postponed/cancelled a random trip that we had hoped to take as a summer opener. We first planned to go to Utah and hit up Zion and/or Bryce National Parks. Then, after much discussion, we scratched that idea and settled upon the Channel Islands. We even had reservations for a campsite, a boat ride and a kayak. This little trip is on permanent hold with Gus's surgery. As Michael said, the islands will always be there.
As for Gus, I'm more than happy to play nurse for him to make sure that he is as comfortable as he possibly can be.
Here he is, in more spry spirits:
Hanging out en casa...
This is "Gus the Flying Nun". Michael likes to dress him up on occasion!
Chilling on the sidewalks of Boulder, CO!
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