(3.5.12) Monday was such as beautiful day I wanted to take full advantage of it. Instead of running nowhere on a treadmill at the gym, I went for a run outside. I took a new course: north on 31st St to University, west to 42nd St, south to Grand and east to 31st. It was a big square, just shy of 4 miles, yet I managed to run against the wind the whole time. It sucked. My goal is to be running a solid, comfortable seven miles by May 19, the Tough Mudder. Gotta step it up.
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(3.2.12) I began this challenge, this attempt to make each day count, 365 days and 73 pages ago (that’s how long my journal is that I’ve kept from March 2, 2011). I can’t believe it’s been a year. I can’t believe what I’ve been through, what I’ve experienced in just one year. I can proudly say I’ve done nearly 400 new things. What did you do this year? I’m drinking a glass of wine in celebration. I mean, that’s how this whole thing started. Well, I might have had more than one glass of wine that night. There’s been some highlights on my journey: I’ve made some great friends, traveled to Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, KC, STL, Joplin, Columbia, competed in a sprint triathlon, ran a 5 mile race, eaten at some great local restaurants, cooked a lot, drank a lot of coffee and wine and beer, donated to great organizations, invested in my health, read more books than ever before, attended different events, listened to a lot of new music, started a blog, and became an auntie. Again I ask, what did you do this year? I feel like some days were small things and some even cop-outs, but that’s the point. Life is busy. I work two jobs, am training for a race, and still trying to experience new things and blog about them. Without this challenge, I wouldn’t have put in that extra effort to make each day count. Whether it was doing a new exercise, checking out a new store on my lunch break or having a photo shoot, I pushed myself to live each day to the fullest.
I was thinking earlier this week how long this challenge will continue. I thought about ending at one year. It seemed like a nice, round length. But instead of picking a specific time period, I think I’ll get a feeling. Amanda told me she’d have a third child if it felt right. I’d never thought about that before. I’ve always just thought about a nice, round number of kids. This is similar. I think I’ll know when the challenge has been accomplished. I’ll feel it. I think this is a part of my life I’ll look back on and brag about. People won’t always get it, and that’s OK. It’s not for them to get. It was for me to get out of my rut. And it worked. I haven’t been in a rut for awhile. I still don’t know my calling in life, but I can’t expect that to fall into my lap in one year. If I hadn’t figured it out in the previous 24 years, who’s to say it won’t take a few more to see the light. Do you ever think about dying? I do. I wonder if I died tomorrow, would I have made it worth it? Would I have lived life to the fullest? Would I have made the gift of life count? I’d like to think I could answer yes to all three, but I’m not sure. I’ve done a lot of things for myself over the past year. I’m very glad I did. But maybe now it’s time to re-focus my efforts. If I died tomorrow, what regrets would I have? I’d regret not telling my family enough how much they mean to me, not calling my brother more, not leaving this world a better place. That’s part of my facebook profile is that I want to make the world better in some small way. This is where not knowing my calling in life comes into play. Will it hit me like a brick one day? Will I have to fight for it? What can I, or should I, be doing to make my life meaningful? I like being a journalist because I feel like I can help make a difference. I have several passions that could be my calling. I guess I won’t know until I make the conscious effort to try. Maybe once I start trying, God will give me a nudge. So how would I describe my year? Discovery. Reflection. Immediate. Alive. Present. New. Challenging. Busy. (2.25.12) This was a BIIIIGG day for me. I participated in my first indoor triathlon in Urbandale. So now I'm a legit triathlete which I'm not going to lie, sounds pretty sweet. I did pretty well too. I got 3rd place out of 3. I think that sounds a lot better than saying I got last place out of 3. Don't you? I actually beat my goal by 9 minutes so I can't complain. The other two girls in my age bracket have done outdoor triathlons before. I was the clear front-runner for last place. My parents came to watch me which was fun actually. I felt like I was in high school gymnastics all over again. I'm proud I achieved such a feat. I'm one step closer to Tough Mudder. A few hours later, I was auctioned off in the Young Variety Des Moines Sweethearts Charity Date Auction. Since the money raised goes to help children in need, I put on my tightest, shortest dress hoping to entice bidders. It must have worked. I ended up going for $255. That's pretty darn good if you ask me. I'm totally worth it too.
Turns out the guy who "won" me is the guy who I went on a date with to Jimmy John's earlier this month (recall my 2.2.12 post). Even though we are still seeing each other, I didn't want to drop out of the auction at the last minute. I'd already committed to it as a single, eligible bachelorette and according to the IRS since I'm not married, that's still the case. $255 later though, we decided to become official. For the first time in a long time, I can say I have a boyfriend. Sorry fellas. (2.17.12) It was my first time hearing of/eating/drinking at Green Grounds Cafe in Valley Junction. It's a cute shop that has coffee, light fare, and random merchandise. My mocha was pretty much hot chocolate, which is fine in my book. They touted their whipped cream as the best in the world. As a non-whipped cream fan, I figured I could try it if it's really that amazing. I liked it, but I don't have much to compare it to. The panini club was also very tastey. The shop serves as much as they can that's locally grown and/or organic. I can appreciate that. Kind of random, but the back room is set up for karaoke. So much more than a cafe.
I also had an excellent sprint Tri practice round. I got through all three events which I did not during my first attempt last week. I get one more full run-through this Friday with the real deal on Saturday. So, I have nothing terribly exciting to report today. I have done several smaller things for the first time, like working out with kettlebells, starting CSI: Miami season 8 and drinking China Green Tea.
The kettlebells might grow on me. I had to stand with my legs shoulder-width apart, hold on to one kettlebell, swing it between my legs and up over my head. My trainer gave me a really heavy one, too heavy. He so kindly let me move down to a smaller weight but increased my reps. I'm just not used to that type of work out, but they are the new trend so they must work somewhat. I heart CSI: Miami. I've been going through withdrawls the last two to three weeks without watching it. See, I finished season 7, but season 8 was checked out from the library. I'm glad I can get my life back on track now. I had to go to Gong Fu Tea in the East Village for a story today. Now, part of this challenge is that I cannot count new things I do for work. However, in this case, I did not have to drink the China Green Tea. The store offered me a sample, and I said yes. I'm not a huge tea drinker, but I have been to Gong Fu Tea once before. I really liked the China Green; it's clean, refreshing and even a bit sweet. It's being served tonight at the welcome dinner for Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping. I'm the thug on the right. (2.11.12) In case you were lucky enough to be somewhere warm this Saturday, I want to tell you how jealous I am. I decided to do the YMCA's 5 mile Red Flannel Run. It was 9 degrees for the run. Let me repeat, 9 degrees. It was frickin freezin. Yet somehow, a thousand or so people decided it was still a swell idea to run around downtown Des Moines decked in red flannel. I ran the whole 5 miles which is amazing considering the weather and not being on a treadmill. Super proud of myself. I even beat one of my friends who I'm doing the Tough Mudder with. It may have only been by a minute, but I still beat him! That night (when it was still freezing) things sure got warmed up at the Funny Bone. It was my first time there, and I really enjoyed the food and the comedians. There were three guy comedians. I'll give you one guess what they talked about. I did walk away with one new pick up line. If I could rearrange the alphabet, I'd put "I" inside "U."
(2.10.12) I attempted all three events in one work out for the first time. My hamstrings were so sore from lifting two days prior. I made it through the swimming and biking, but only ran one of the 3.2 miles needed for the triathlon. Good thing I still have two weeks to go!
Swimming, biking, and running make up a triathlon. I've been working hard on the swimming and running parts and have been squeezing in only a bit of biking. It's much easier than the other two. I mean, you just sit there and move your legs. Whereas with running and swimming, you're carrying your entire weight. The sprint tri I'm doing requires biking 10 miles. This was the first time I've ever biked 10 consecutive miles. I did it in 47 minutes which is less than a 5 minute mile. That seems pretty darn good to me. I pushed myself though and went another two-ish miles in a full hour. Upon completion, I wasn't nearly as tired as after running for 20 minutes. Maybe I should just be a cyclist...
I really feel like Dory in Finding Nemo some days when I'm swimming laps. I'm still trying to get the breathing down and have a long way to go to get my endurance up. I literally tell myself: just 10 more laps, just 5 more laps, you can do this, you're not going to drown. I read through Swimming for Fitness to get more information on how to be a better swimmer. It had similar info as the previous book I read, Championship Swimming. It's always reassuring when two sources give you the same info.
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