To celebrate my birthday last year, I ran a marathon. I didn't do as much this year but I was still active enough to not regret the cake I ate for breakfast. My day started way too early with a screaming 5:00 am alarm. I dragged my sleepy self to the gym and had a great workout with my trainer. Yes, she made it very special. Ow.
I had to work today (... like most days) but the day went quickly. After work Jeanette and I went for a walk around the Lafayette Reservoir. That sounds so -- so -- gentle, doesn't it? That just means you don't know the LR. There is an asphalt trail that surrounds the reservoir, 2.7 miles of uphills and downhills. It's very pretty. But we didn't just walk the asphalt, oh heck no. We took a little detour up a big freakin' hill, then up another hill, along a trail, and then down a hill. These were probably fire trails, muddy and cracked and lumpy and rutted. Our detour had our lungs puffing and our hearts pounding (thanks, pneumonia reminders!) and it felt like we had gone at least a few miles.
Nuh uh. It was a big old 1.3 mile trail detour, a whole .9 miles more than we would have gone if we had stayed on the asphalt. But what a detour! This is definitely the time of year to struggle up there. Glorious spring all around us. 360 degree views of rolling hills with a little suburbia peeking through. Amazing that this is less than 10 minutes from our office. We saw a hawk circling in the sky, a deer hiding in the brush, a turkey waddling through the grasses.
Our goal is to walk the entire Rim Trail, about 4-5 miles of trail up near the sky. With the days getting longer we'll still be able to do that after work before it gets dark and they have to send the tracking dogs after us. I'd tell you how slowly we were going but I don't want you all laughing so hard that you fall over.
Now THAT'S the way to celebrate a birthday!
As to the changes: good bye Utah Valley Marathon, hello Coeur d'Alene Marathon! After a very tough 15 mile run on Saturday I realized there was no way I'd be able to run a marathon, at altitude, with a 6 hour cut-off. That would give me no lee-way if my lungs gave out, or if I had a bad day. CdA is a much flatter marathon, at only 2500 elevation. Still higher than our sea level, but breathable. They offer an early start for walkers so I'll start then. While I hope to break 6 hours, I won't be frantic if I can't do it.
The biggest difference is I'll miss one of my scheduled/planned 20 mile runs, only getting in one 18 miler and one 20 miler. I don't really need that extra one, it's just something that I'd done for piece of mind, a mental thing. It also means I'll miss the first team training, but I've done that before too. There's an immense sense of relief with this change so I know it's a good decision. And hey, there's always the rest of the summer if I need to run another marathon!
How do you celebrate birthdays? Cake and champagne? An endurance run? Three weeks of party/run/party/run? Call in sick and cover your head with a blanket? Ignore the whole thing and beat up anyone who mentions it?
Showing posts with label Celebration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Celebration. Show all posts
Monday, April 16, 2012
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Not the race report ... yet
I've been putting off writing about the Mermaid Half Marathon until I get the pictures from my camera to my computer but since that's taking forever, I'll write around it.
Friday was my birthday, the latest of many others. It astounds me when I think that I'm in my mid-50's since I don't feel that different from how I felt when I was, oh, in my teens. That same sense of self, of "this is me" is there. Yeah, I have a different body and different life outlook from when I was younger but it's still the same Amy inside my head. I still sound like me to me, I still have my same feelings, but the calendar and my mirror tell me that yes indeedy I'm middle aged. Not complaining, mind you. I know the only alternative to getting older and it's not something I want. Age over death any day, thankyouverymuch. It's just that it's so odd!
My celebration included going to work, since that's what I normally do on Fridays. Luckily I like my job and I like my co-workers. I had purposely scheduled a race for the morning after my birthday so I would have an excuse to stay home Friday night. Partying late is something I got out of my system when I was much younger. Like in my 40's. I had an easy, enjoyable day, heard from friends and loved ones and got in a nap, reading, knitting and even some sleep. Oy. I am old.
Saturday morning I got up at 4:50 am (just about the time I used to roll into bed after a birthday celebration) and got ready for my race. [Pretend you're reading a race report here.]
Saturday afternoon I was able to crash on the sofa for a while before going out to dinner with a friend. Her birthday is a week after mine so we always try to celebrate together. Sometimes that doesn't happen until June, but we were both available so we scheduled an early dinner at Casa Orozco. We each felt we'd be home and getting ready to settle in by 7:15 - wild and crazy girls are we!
Instead, we had a great dinner (with only one margarita each, mind you) and sat chatting away until we realized it was 8:30, the restaurant was crowded and we were taking up a table. Oopsie, so we retired to my house with a glass of wine and continued talking until after 10:15. That's what happens when we don't get together that often.
Whether it was the conversation, the wine, the food, the race, the pollen-stuffed lungs or something else, I was wired (ha! betcha thought I was going to say I couldn't stay awake!) and jittery and didn't bother going to bed until close to 1 am. I tossed and turned and dragged myself out of bed early Sunday morning and set to the day's chores.
Sunday was mom's day, and we shuttled back and forth picking up more things that she decided she needs to have. She's slowly cramming her new apartment full to the rafters (figuratively; there are no rafters where she lives) and the old house still has enough stuff in it to furnish another apartment. I'm trying not to think about having to sort what's left, but at least we're not in a horrible hurry to do that. I think my mom still hopes that someday she'll be able to go live there again. Yeah, that'll be right around when they invent those youth pills we've been told about or when someone discovers the Fountain of Youth.
Frequently when I go to a store these days there's someone with a petition for something. "Don't let your freedom to [whatever] be taken away, sign now!" or "No representation, we must be able to vote on [whatever] now!" or "Save the [parks/taxes/children/animals] now!" they say, "add these to the upcoming election." The only petition I'd sign is one I haven't seen yet. That would be the one creating an 8th day of the week, to fall on the weekend between Saturday and Sunday. I'd call it "Momday" but I'm willing to let someone else pick the name if that isn't acceptable. "Momday" will be a day for people to take that extra step for their family members, either the elderly or the young. The day would be spent either with the family member, or for the family member's behalf. It would still leave a 2 day weekend for recreation and errands and housework. C'mon, wouldn't YOU sign that petition?
Friday was my birthday, the latest of many others. It astounds me when I think that I'm in my mid-50's since I don't feel that different from how I felt when I was, oh, in my teens. That same sense of self, of "this is me" is there. Yeah, I have a different body and different life outlook from when I was younger but it's still the same Amy inside my head. I still sound like me to me, I still have my same feelings, but the calendar and my mirror tell me that yes indeedy I'm middle aged. Not complaining, mind you. I know the only alternative to getting older and it's not something I want. Age over death any day, thankyouverymuch. It's just that it's so odd!
My celebration included going to work, since that's what I normally do on Fridays. Luckily I like my job and I like my co-workers. I had purposely scheduled a race for the morning after my birthday so I would have an excuse to stay home Friday night. Partying late is something I got out of my system when I was much younger. Like in my 40's. I had an easy, enjoyable day, heard from friends and loved ones and got in a nap, reading, knitting and even some sleep. Oy. I am old.
Saturday morning I got up at 4:50 am (just about the time I used to roll into bed after a birthday celebration) and got ready for my race. [Pretend you're reading a race report here.]
Saturday afternoon I was able to crash on the sofa for a while before going out to dinner with a friend. Her birthday is a week after mine so we always try to celebrate together. Sometimes that doesn't happen until June, but we were both available so we scheduled an early dinner at Casa Orozco. We each felt we'd be home and getting ready to settle in by 7:15 - wild and crazy girls are we!
Instead, we had a great dinner (with only one margarita each, mind you) and sat chatting away until we realized it was 8:30, the restaurant was crowded and we were taking up a table. Oopsie, so we retired to my house with a glass of wine and continued talking until after 10:15. That's what happens when we don't get together that often.
Whether it was the conversation, the wine, the food, the race, the pollen-stuffed lungs or something else, I was wired (ha! betcha thought I was going to say I couldn't stay awake!) and jittery and didn't bother going to bed until close to 1 am. I tossed and turned and dragged myself out of bed early Sunday morning and set to the day's chores.
Sunday was mom's day, and we shuttled back and forth picking up more things that she decided she needs to have. She's slowly cramming her new apartment full to the rafters (figuratively; there are no rafters where she lives) and the old house still has enough stuff in it to furnish another apartment. I'm trying not to think about having to sort what's left, but at least we're not in a horrible hurry to do that. I think my mom still hopes that someday she'll be able to go live there again. Yeah, that'll be right around when they invent those youth pills we've been told about or when someone discovers the Fountain of Youth.
Frequently when I go to a store these days there's someone with a petition for something. "Don't let your freedom to [whatever] be taken away, sign now!" or "No representation, we must be able to vote on [whatever] now!" or "Save the [parks/taxes/children/animals] now!" they say, "add these to the upcoming election." The only petition I'd sign is one I haven't seen yet. That would be the one creating an 8th day of the week, to fall on the weekend between Saturday and Sunday. I'd call it "Momday" but I'm willing to let someone else pick the name if that isn't acceptable. "Momday" will be a day for people to take that extra step for their family members, either the elderly or the young. The day would be spent either with the family member, or for the family member's behalf. It would still leave a 2 day weekend for recreation and errands and housework. C'mon, wouldn't YOU sign that petition?
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