Apparently registering online for a distance race gets you put on new and interesting mailing lists. This morning, I got an email for "Fitness Singles," where I can find someone to "ignite my passion." This is even funnier than the spam I get for Christian singles and singles over 50!
I'm sorry to tell all of the fit singles out there that I'm not available. Dry your tears...if you're on that website, more than likely you're not interested in me anyway!
15 March, 2012
09 March, 2012
And So It Starts
Actually, I haven't done anything yet.
But I took the step before the first step.
This afternoon, I registered for a real honest-to-God distance race.
Before you ask, no I'm not on any mind-altering drugs... but I would like to be off of my other drugs!
I signed up for the less-than-a-half-marathon "Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-Miler" at the end of September.
Cool things about this race:
1. It's at night - 10pm to be specific
2. It's villains-themed
3. It's a distance that doesn't seem ridiculous to me. The half, which is on my bucket list, is 13.1 miles. For some reason, I can't wrap my mind around that. (but if I can handle this, I might consider doing one next year)
Going into the start of the Walking League, my goal was to walk for a whole hour without whining. (yes, I already told that story) After six weeks, I logged just over 13 miles (we skipped last week because I worked an overnight shift). I figure if I can walk 3 miles in an hour now, with no fitness level whatsoever, and without any muscle soreness or fatigue, then surely I can train over the next 6 months to be able to go 10 miles at a 15 minute mile pace. My doctor says I'm allowed, and gave me some good advice about blisters.
So I'm going to start next week. The training plan I'm following is 3 days per week (2 of which are only 30 minutes!) and start with a strategy of running 5 seconds, then walking 55 seconds. I can do THAT! I think some folks from work might be interested. If so, I'll be running with them. If not, Scott will go out with me early in the morning and pace me on the bike. Either way, I'm committed.
Updates to come!
it's a small world
I sent one of my trainers out today to do high reach training for a guy from another department, and it was sort of a cluster**** getting things organized and getting these two guys to the same place at the same time. When the trainer got back, he stopped in my office and told me that this training was like a "call from God," which was good...I thought he was going to give me a hard time because of the lousy communication.
He went on to tell me that his dad had passed away 10 years ago, and even before that they weren't close. Divorce, etc. etc. But the guy that I sent him out to train works in the department his dad used to work in, and had worked with his dad for many years. My trainer got to hear some old war stories about his dad, and got the other guy's phone number. He hopes they can get together for a beer so he can hear more.
Even people with great relationships with their parents rarely get to see them outside of the parent role. For him to have the chance to get to know his dad from a completely different perspective, it's really a gift. And he knows how lucky he was to have that chance meeting today, which makes it even more special.
He went on to tell me that his dad had passed away 10 years ago, and even before that they weren't close. Divorce, etc. etc. But the guy that I sent him out to train works in the department his dad used to work in, and had worked with his dad for many years. My trainer got to hear some old war stories about his dad, and got the other guy's phone number. He hopes they can get together for a beer so he can hear more.
Even people with great relationships with their parents rarely get to see them outside of the parent role. For him to have the chance to get to know his dad from a completely different perspective, it's really a gift. And he knows how lucky he was to have that chance meeting today, which makes it even more special.
06 March, 2012
Odd Ends
Here are a few things floating through my head today that are too long for Twitter and too short for their own blog posts.
* When I was in the fourth grade, my family took a vacation to England. I distinctly remember being disappointed when we returned to the US and not only did we not get to disembark the plane via staircase to the tarmac, but there was no marching band. Apparently my only exposure to international travel had been the evening news and seeing the President and/or US Military members returning to much fanfare. I thought of that today because this morning my friend Margaret floated into Port Canaveral aboard the Disney Fantasy, to a throng of well-wishers waving at the ship, plus media coverage and fireworks! My inner fourth grader is very jealous indeed! (the rest of me is jealous of the transatlantic voyage and the stop in NYC)
* Experiences (most) men don't understand: Forgetting that you're wearing high heels, until the toilet seat is 3" lower than you're expecting it to be. That might not sound like a great distance, but when you're falling bare-assed through space wondering who moved the toilet and bracing for impact with the ground, it's just enough for a mini adrenaline rush!
* We learned this morning that Robert Sherman died. Even if you don't know the name, you know his music. He and his brother Richard worked directly with Walt Disney to create music for movies from Mary Poppins to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, plus the ol' theme park classics "It's a Small World" and the theme to the Tiki Room. The Disney Parks Blog had a lovely write-up that started with a Mary Poppins reference that made me tear up: "Today, the wind has changed and Disney Legend Robert B. Sherman has had to leave us. But the immeasurable gifts of song he has given — in that magical partnership with his surviving brother, Disney Legend Richard M. Sherman — will stay forever." It's true - their legacy will outlive all of ours!
* When I was in the fourth grade, my family took a vacation to England. I distinctly remember being disappointed when we returned to the US and not only did we not get to disembark the plane via staircase to the tarmac, but there was no marching band. Apparently my only exposure to international travel had been the evening news and seeing the President and/or US Military members returning to much fanfare. I thought of that today because this morning my friend Margaret floated into Port Canaveral aboard the Disney Fantasy, to a throng of well-wishers waving at the ship, plus media coverage and fireworks! My inner fourth grader is very jealous indeed! (the rest of me is jealous of the transatlantic voyage and the stop in NYC)
* Experiences (most) men don't understand: Forgetting that you're wearing high heels, until the toilet seat is 3" lower than you're expecting it to be. That might not sound like a great distance, but when you're falling bare-assed through space wondering who moved the toilet and bracing for impact with the ground, it's just enough for a mini adrenaline rush!
* We learned this morning that Robert Sherman died. Even if you don't know the name, you know his music. He and his brother Richard worked directly with Walt Disney to create music for movies from Mary Poppins to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, plus the ol' theme park classics "It's a Small World" and the theme to the Tiki Room. The Disney Parks Blog had a lovely write-up that started with a Mary Poppins reference that made me tear up: "Today, the wind has changed and Disney Legend Robert B. Sherman has had to leave us. But the immeasurable gifts of song he has given — in that magical partnership with his surviving brother, Disney Legend Richard M. Sherman — will stay forever." It's true - their legacy will outlive all of ours!
01 March, 2012
Birthday Tradition
On my 30th birthday, my co-worker Donna bought me a big ol' mylar "30" balloon. When I got home that afternoon, I had Scott take my picture with the balloon. I don't know why I did it, probably because I'm kind of a sucker for balloons and this one was a definite record of where I was on the big 3-0.
For the past two years, I've continued the tradition in a less conspicuous way. Instead of balloons, I've used finger counting to mark the years. On birthday 31, I was in Animal Kingdom, and it was cold! On birthday 32, we were killing time in a mall in Tampa when we stumbled upon racks of prom dresses. For 33, because 3 is my lucky number (how could it not be? my birthday is 3-3 after all!), I made myself a prop.
The best thing about this picture, besides my sign, is the fact that it was taken in the Magic Kingdom at 1 am today, and I was wearing pajama bottoms. (nope, I wasn't the only one!) Scott and I went last night for the "One More Disney Day" promotion. MK was open for the "bonus" Leap Day for 24 hours (for some reason from 6 am to 6 am instead of midnight to midnight). We got there right after the fireworks, and the crowd was horrific. We waited in lines for food, bathrooms...even the never-has-a-line TTA! We were planning on staying until 2 or 3, but we gave up slightly after 1 when we looped back to Tomorrowland to see that lines had actually gotten longer than they were from 9-10! We really did have a wonderful time - it's so much more pleasant to wait in lines when you're not also suffering from sunstroke - but the congestion was disheartening. I'm glad we didn't stay and try to wait out the crowds. I read a tweet from 4:30 am saying the line for Haunted Mansion was "only" 20 minutes.
Lesson learned: never underestimate the Disney die-hards!
I'll be bringing my sign with me wherever we go for the rest of the weekend (including on my actual birthday). Hopefully it'll have some good stories to tell.
For the past two years, I've continued the tradition in a less conspicuous way. Instead of balloons, I've used finger counting to mark the years. On birthday 31, I was in Animal Kingdom, and it was cold! On birthday 32, we were killing time in a mall in Tampa when we stumbled upon racks of prom dresses. For 33, because 3 is my lucky number (how could it not be? my birthday is 3-3 after all!), I made myself a prop.
The best thing about this picture, besides my sign, is the fact that it was taken in the Magic Kingdom at 1 am today, and I was wearing pajama bottoms. (nope, I wasn't the only one!) Scott and I went last night for the "One More Disney Day" promotion. MK was open for the "bonus" Leap Day for 24 hours (for some reason from 6 am to 6 am instead of midnight to midnight). We got there right after the fireworks, and the crowd was horrific. We waited in lines for food, bathrooms...even the never-has-a-line TTA! We were planning on staying until 2 or 3, but we gave up slightly after 1 when we looped back to Tomorrowland to see that lines had actually gotten longer than they were from 9-10! We really did have a wonderful time - it's so much more pleasant to wait in lines when you're not also suffering from sunstroke - but the congestion was disheartening. I'm glad we didn't stay and try to wait out the crowds. I read a tweet from 4:30 am saying the line for Haunted Mansion was "only" 20 minutes.
Lesson learned: never underestimate the Disney die-hards!
I'll be bringing my sign with me wherever we go for the rest of the weekend (including on my actual birthday). Hopefully it'll have some good stories to tell.
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