Take the poll!

Should I get a tattoo? If I did, it would look something like this.



















Or maybe I would separate the images like this.












I'd want the moon to be a little smaller, though. The sun is definitely the prominent image I want to feature.

I've been thinking about it off and on through the years. Lately, I've been thinking about it quite a bit. I think it's time.

Whatever I do, it will be small. It will be tasteful. And it will be viewable by invitation only. :) I don't want it to be visible when I'm dressed for work or an event. It's for me. It's private. (Yeah, real private... That's why I'm asking everyone in Internetland for their advice...)

What say you? Vote on the poll and let me know what you think.

Beauty

This is the sight I was treated to this morning during my outdoor boot camp class:


They were crossing the street from one yard to another. They then cut through two adjoining back yards to get to the woods across the street. They stood very still and looked at us several times.

They literally stopped us in our tracks. They were so beautiful and graceful.

Seeing them made my whole morning.

I'm old, but I'm slow

We used to say that in volleyball tournaments when I was, oh, 22 or 23. Good grief, I had no clue...

Anyway, when we'd play younger (collegiate) teams in the playoffs, we'd jokingly tell them, "We may be old... but we're slow! Watch out!" It always got a laugh.

Sadly, it's becoming more and more true. Take, for example, this week's workouts.

TUESDAY - Mile repeats on an indoor track
I got progressively slower and slower with each mile, and my legs felt heavier and heavier. It was almost a death march at the end. 7:18 (a little too fast), 7:36 (better, but a little slower than I wanted), and 7:46 (BLECH!!!).

THIS MORNING - A steady 3/4 mile swim
I never really felt as though I got into a rhythm today, and my splits clearly showed it. I was nearly 3 minutes off my PR for the full distance, even though I constantly reminded myself of all the tips and techniques I've been learning in my swim clinic and in my own reading.

I know it's just a funk. I haven't been eating as well as I should, and my schedule this week has been insanely busy. It still is frustrating, though.

Can someone please tell me why I'm awake right now?

This week is officially The Suck. I arrived at work today at 6:50 a.m. and got home at 9:15 p.m. (I did take a break to work out, but still. A 7 a.m. meeting and 7 p.m. meeting on the same day? Bleh.)

Tomorrow I have a 7:30 a.m. meeting.

Wednesday I'm teaching at 6 a.m. because I traded classes this week.

Thursday I have to make a presentation at a 6 p.m. meeting after working a regular day.

And Friday? An 8 a.m. meeting... 2 hours south of home in beautiful Seaford. (Please note the sarcasm.)

Somewhere in there I also have to train two clients at the Y, take care of my pets, see two shows -- Spamalot and Blithe Spirit -- with my mom, work out, prepare a mailing for my high school class, pick up and deliver an auction prize for a fundraiser Friday, and other assorted errands and responsibilities.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. G'night.

A starting point

Last night I did my first ladder workout in about a year and a half. The ladder scares me. I'd much rather try to maintain a consistent pace over several repeats of the same distance versus increase my pace as the distances get shorter, but I figured I had to see where I was starting this racing season so off I went to the track.

My ladder was as follows:
1600
1200
800
400
200

All in all, I did 6.5 miles including running to and from the track. I knew the 1200 would be my downfall... and I was right.

1600 - 7:18 - 7:18 pace (duh)
1200 - 5:32 - 7:25 pace (drat!)
800 - 3:32 - 7:06 pace (better)
400 - 1:42 - 6:50 pace (how on earth did I ever run a whole mile that fast??)
200 - :45 - 6:02 pace (love me some 200s!)

At the end I did one final lap, sprinting the straightaways (:15 and :16) and walking the turns before heading back to the Y.

I have my work cut out for me, but at least now I know what I need to work on. Next time I do a ladder, that 1200 will be below 5:15. Just watch.

An Irish Prayer

May God give you...
For every storm, a rainbow,
For every tear, a smile,
For every care, a promise,
And a blessing in each trial.
For every problem life sends,
A faithful friend to share,
For every sigh, a sweet song,
And an answer for each prayer.

Blue

My nails were blue. :)

Who got it right?

Random Thoughts

- Not only does swimming make me ridiculously hungry, but it also makes me pee like a racehorse for several hours. Any idea why? Does being submerged in water release some primal urge to urinate??

- Is it possible that after one swimming clinic, my swimming has already improved? Or am I imagining things?

- Daylight Savings Time rocks. Speedwork on the track tonight!

- I do not need a sandwich. Thank you anyway.

- I still hate my stainless steel water bottles (she says after yet again spilling water on herself while trying to drink out of one).

- Venus is in retrograde this month. Whatever that means. :) (Actually, a friend sent me a very informative and enlightening email that explains what it means... and it's scarily accurate.)

- I need to earn more money. I don't know how (legally), but I need to. And soon.

- I like my darker hair. It suits me.

- Random Thoughts are fun to write. :)

I saw Mike this morning

He came to me in a dream. Or maybe I had one of those weird out-of-body experiences that people talk about. Or maybe I'm still a bit tipsy from too much Grey Goose consumed in his honor last night.

No matter, I saw him. I got to talk to him. He'd been revived on the one year anniversary of his death to provide us with a chance to talk to him. I asked him what heaven was like, and his reply was, "This was heaven. Being here with all of you. My work with the kids. Don't you get it? Earth is heaven."

I told him about what had been going on with me in the one year since I'd seen him, mainly about my nose. As I talked about it, he kept showering my face and especially my nose with kisses. Not sexual or romantic kisses. All I felt was pure love from him.

After a weird and random series of dream events (people from other areas of my life showing up, suddenly being in a house instead of the hospital, a very drunk and angry IronHubby, and tearfully finding out that Mike was going to be let go again), I found him again and suddenly was in a car in Rehoboth with him, my friend Resha, and a small child (I don't know whose... whoever was driving the car). I said I had one more question for him. Did he see God when he died? Was it like people say, with bright, comforting white light and God and your loved ones calling to you, welcoming you?

He said, "Oh no. Nothing like that. It's... kinda boring."

Now, this is completely contrary to what I believe. I believe there's more after this life. I believe heaven is a joyous and happy place, free from pain, from suffering, from regrets, from sorrow. I believe you do reconnect with loved ones who have gone before you.

However, I also believe that messages and lessons come to us from all directions, and that part of our job on this earth is to listen and be receptive to them. So here's what I think Mike was sent to tell me.

Live every day to its fullest
Appreciate what you have
Tell people how you feel about them
Do meaningful work, and be proud of what you do
Never take anything for granted

Thanks, Mike, for coming back to me. I miss you all the time, but I now know that you really are still here with us.

Iron Mike

One year ago today IronHubby and I rushed to the hospital to sit with Andrea, Iron Mike's girlfriend. Because I worked with Mike, I knew he hadn't been feeling well -- truth be told, he'd been in HORRIBLE pain the day before. I called Andrea to see how he was doing, and when she told us how serious it was, we immediately canceled all appointments for the rest of the day to keep her company.

Because that's all we thought we were doing... keeping her company while Mike was undergoing some testing on his leg. We never dreamed we'd arrive at the hospital to hear words like "dire" and "extremely grave" from the doctors. We never expected to spend the next 14 hours in the waiting room as the situation grew worse and worse. We never expected to meet Mike's out-of-town brother and sister as they rushed to his bedside as well.

We certainly didn't anticipate that it would be the last time we'd ever see him.

Mike was the healthiest, fittest person I've ever met. His work ethic in the gym and on the roads was unparalleled, and (despite his junk food diet) it showed.


















Mike also was a thoughtful listener, a loyal friend, and a heck of a lot of fun. I will forever be grateful to him for taking IronHubby under his wing and introducing him (and, indirectly, me) to the wonderful world of triathlon. He accepted IronHubby into his inner-circle of training buddies, mentored him, and, when IronHubby outgrew that group, gently pushed him toward a more advanced training group. He welcomed us into his home too many times to count and helped me change careers two years ago. He was an absolute gem of a person, and it's simply not fair that he's gone.

I miss him terribly and know he's smiling down on us this weekend.

A new adventure?

Several years ago, I looked into bellydancing lessons. Yes, bellydancing. :) The scheduling didn't work out, and it got filed away under Things I'd Like To Do Someday, along with swimming with dolphins, meeting Bono, living in New York City, running a marathon, and other assorted wish-list items.

Last night Mom and I saw Bellydance Superstars at the Grand Opera House.


















It wasn't what we expected. It was a very modern, multi-cultural exploration of belly dance with elaborate costumes and choreography. The women were, on the whole, phenomenally beautiful. I mean, check out these two:


































Stunning, right? Who wouldn't want to look like that??

My favorites were these four, though:


















They were like the bad girls of bellydance with their tattoos and piercings. I told Mom they were the outlaw gypsy cousins. :) Since I'm a gypsy from a long line of gypsies, they appealed to me.

There was literature available before and after the show, and I was inspired enough to take a few pamphlets, one of which advertised Beginner Bellydance lessons. Hmmmmmm, a phone call is in my very near future... and those lessons might be, too!

Why the heck not?

Getting my mojo back

It's March. Spring has to be around the corner, right, despite the 8 inches of snow currently covering my world? Doesn't matter. I feel as though I'm truly getting my mojo back. Why? Many reasons, really.

I swam this morning for the first time in 5 weeks. It was a shortie -- just half a mile -- and my nose definitely did not like the pressure of breathing underwater, but still. I swam! I remembered this morning how much I love being in the water. I feel so free, so at peace in the water. No sounds other than my own breathing. No sights except the water itself (and inside, the line I'm following below me). No one to talk to. No tunes to distract me. Just me and the water.

Speaking of tunes, I have new U2 tunes to inspire and move me. (Note the new Thought of the Day, taken from a song on the new album. Deep. And so appropriate for me.)

My weight is creeping down again. Of the 5+ pounds I re-gained, I've re-lost 3 and am this close to going below a huge marker. Yes, it's arbitrary and stupid to focus on a number, but when you're about to dip below a mark you've seen only once in the past 12 years, it's a pretty big deal.

I start speedwork again tonight, and I have a few races picked out: a 5K in Philly on March 22 and a very hilly 10K on April 19. My 10K PR is several years old, and I don't know if the Buckley's course is one I can possibly PR on. I'll try, though.

Daylight savings time starts again this weekend, which will make my after-work runs MUCH more likely to be outside! Yeah! No more treadmill unless it's completely necessary. And even better, once it gets just a little bit warmer, I can bike outside again.

Dad is settling in nicely in his new apartment. Ultimately, the move is going to be so good for him. I'm excited for this new chapter in his life.

Work is insanely busy, but I'm the weirdo who actually likes being insanely busy. So I even have my work mojo going for me. :)

There is so much to be happy about.

It doesn't come out 'til tomorrow...

... but I'm on my way to get it RIGHT NOW!

U2's No Line on the Horizon. Can't freaking wait to listen!!! Looks like tonight's workout will be done on the bike trainer with the stereo CRANKING. (Warm-up to include hauling the bike and the trainer up from the basement.) :)