Today we walked the Royal Bunny Tracs 5k. This was our third 5k, but the last one we walked was about four years ago. Considering how far I’ve come with walking in the past year, this was an exciting milestone for me.
This was a local event put on by Manhattan Running Company and the Kiwanis to raise money for foster kids to go to summer camps and participate in school year mentoring programs. The race started at 8:30 with registration opening at 7:30. We were there around 7:15. In hindsight, we probably could have slept in a little, but I like to be prepared and ready.
Before we even signed up, I asked a friend to see if they had a time limit. I knew I wasn’t going to finish in less than an hour, and at the time, I was planning for more like an hour and a half. When we went to pick up our race packets, one of the organizers knew our name and reassured us that we could take as long as we needed. I love that we were on the radar and getting support before it even started.
We each got a Bunny Tracs T-shirt and a race number. I put my t-shirt on over the one I was already wearing and didn’t have a problem with fit. This was refreshing. Not only were plus sizes offered, but they fit like a plus size and not a medium with the wrong tag.
The race started at exactly 8:30. Jon and I stayed in the back so the runners and fast walkers could breeze past us. I wanted to enjoy the walk, not hurt myself at the beginning. I walked my normal pace on the first lap, tried to pick up the pace on the second, then started losing momentum on the third. I jogged a couple times, including the last few yards over the finish line. By the time we started the second lap, we were pretty much on the track by ourselves.
The volunteers were awesome, waiting for our laggy butts to make it to their stations and being super nice and supportive. All kinds of people threw words of encouragement at us. I wasn’t expecting that. In hindsight, I probably should have thrown some back, but all I could think to say was thanks. Which is probably okay, since someday maybe I can encourage people walking a 5k for the first time.
They had already taken down the finish line arch, but the ground line was still there, so our finish felt official. We didn’t get timed. The organizer at the beginning asked if we cared about time. We didn’t. Jon timed us on his phone though. We finished in one hour and fifteen minutes.
We made the last part of the awards ceremony and chatted with people before leaving. There were other events happening, but we were wiped and still had laundry to do.
I’m planning to sign us up for another one, and we’re going to continue training to build speed and distance. I haven’t given up plans to maybe run one someday, but I’m going to get some walks under my belt first.
I hadn’t been planning on walking a 5k for a few more months. I’d thought about signing up for the Glow Run in June, but I didn’t make that a thing because of money, time, etc. (excuses, right?). I figured my first true 5k wouldn’t be until the Orc Stomp at Gen Con (if they’re holding it this year, of course).
But then a fellow worker bee tagged me in an FB post, and it was “challenge accepted” from there. Why? Because I want to walk one, and I didn’t really have a good reason to say no. I’m fairly prepared, and I have time to get even more prepared. So instead of finding more excuses, I went ahead and signed up.
These shoes were made for walkin’.
That was a couple weeks ago. Fast forward to the present. We’re two weeks from the walk and in true me fashion, I’ve procrastinated. This past week brought very little physical activity and way more unhealthy eating than planned. While I rarely get caught up in what I do and don’t eat, I know I’m not feeling my best and I know why.
I was a little apprehensive about our training walk today. Besides lack of regular activity, it’s been a couple weeks since we walked this distance. Instead of doing our normal track, we decided to test drive the actual track for the event.
This track is dirt, not pavement. It’s relatively flat and in a nice area. Because I wasn’t familiar with the longer loop, Jon walked with me instead of at his own pace, and that made for a much more enjoyable walk since I had someone to visit with.
We didn’t follow the exact path that the race will take, but we monitored using the markers and our Fitbits, and by the time we got back to our car, we’d walked about 3.20 miles in about 1 hour and 10 minutes. This marks my best walking time. Granted, it was flat terrain, and a lot of hills would take me longer, but I don’t even care. I feel good about it.
When it comes to walking, it’s hard for me not to compare myself to other people. I’m so slow. Even when I feel like I’ve got a good pace going, other people breeze past me. I’ve been told I walk weird, and I’m sure that’s true. Sometimes I have a limp depending on what hurts. I apparently walk on the ball of my foot, not my heel. I’m sure all of these are factors. I’m sure others would say weight and motivation are factors too. Either way, I think I’m destined to be the tortoise.
And really? That’s okay. I’m not in it to win anything or be better than someone else. I’m doing it because I can (which hasn’t always been the case). I’m doing it for movement and to help out a cause and to feel like I accomplished something.
Before today, I was a little nervous about this walk, but not as much now. Even if Jon leaves me in the dust and I come strolling in a half hour after everyone else, I know I’ll at least have finished it. That in itself is pretty awesome.
If anyone in the area wants to sign up, you can do so through Manhattan Running Company. You can also read here to find out how to make a donation if you’re so inclined. I’ll have a recap of the walk after it happens. Until then, wish me luck!
Part of the reason I’ve put off writing for the past few days is that I was hoping to have some good news to share. Jon had a really positive interview last week, and we were hoping to hear that he got the position by early this week. Unfortunately, he hasn’t heard anything yet. So we’re still in limbo, and I’m a ball of anxiety waiting to find out if we can finally breathe a sigh of relief or if we have to hold it for a little while longer.
I was thinking about it at the gym, and my daily blog post, even when it was super boring and nothing more than “I didn’t do anything” or “No time to write, stay tuned for tomorrow” helped keep me grounded. It was routine and it was an accomplishment. Since I’ve started blogging sporadically, other than the Influenster product reviews and the book reviews, I kind of feel scattered again.
I’m sure there are other reasons for feeling scattered: new position at work, aforementioned unsureness of the future, the changing of the seasons. But right now, I’m trying to find things that will help me get back to feeling “right”. Maybe my daily blog, even if it has no rhyme or reason, and even if it’s boring, is what I need to aim for.
So we’ll see how that goes.
Let’s see what I can update on right now…
I’ve been pretty good about exercising regularly, though I’ve been bad about walking on breaks and getting to my step goal. I decided to do more 5k training, but I’m setting my own rules and guidelines since I was having a hard time getting into the C25K trainer. Gen Con is only five months away, and Jon and I want to do the Orc Stomp 5k, so I really need to start building endurance and maybe some speed. Last Saturday we walked the distance of a 5k at the walking track (a little more, actually, because of the way it’s laid out). I paced myself and didn’t have too much trouble. I also finished it in an hour and a half…slow, but I thought it was going to take me two hours, so faster than I thought.
Speaking of 5ks, I also want to sign up for the Glow Run in KC, but I have to wait until we know if we’re staying or going. I’ll obviously walk it, so I have to check and make sure they either don’t have a time limit or they have a long time limit.
Speaking of running, I’m still doing a little bit of it…and I’m getting better! When I do walk/run sets, I can run for about two minutes on my first run. I think I could do more on my second set if I wasn’t having a problem with ankle tightness and cramps. I think we’re going to go to the local running shop soon and get fitted for good shoes. It would be cool to run a little bit at either the Glow Run or the Orc Stomp.
Speaking of Gen Con, we’re officially going because we volunteered to work part time for AEG. This means less time for scheduling events, but it means more gaming swag and the chance to hang with some cool people. We volunteered for Big Game Night last year and loved it, so we’re hoping this experience is just as fun. I think it will be.
I’m glad spring and summer are getting closer so I can spend more time outside. I haven’t gotten comfortable doing any sort of running on the treadmill, though I think at some point, I may have to stop being so scared and just do it.
Maybe after I figure out that ankle problem.
Off for a Twitter chat, a shower, some reading, and some sleep. If you think about it, send good vibes our way. It would be nice to hear about a job for Jon so we can start planning for the rest of 2014.
This past weekend was spent doing almost nothing. I think I was still fighting an infection because the stomach pain from the sickness I had last week didn’t go away, so I wasn’t feeling up to doing anything besides sitting around and reading and watching cute movies on Netflix. The highlight of the weekend (or lowlight as it were) was probably a bad haircut, though realizing it as a bad haircut was kind of a delayed reaction. Either way, I’ll be rocking the headbands for the next few weeks. My hair grows fast, though.
My stomach pains seem to have gone away. I’m avoiding soda and carbonation until I know for sure, but today was good. I was even able to walk on my breaks and get a workout in at the gym before we headed home. We’re waiting for a big snowstorm to hit. The city of Manhattan and the university and all the schools are already closed for tomorrow. My place of work is still open, however. If it’s not too bad in the morning, I’ll probably still go in. Current projects are much easier on my dual monitors. But if it’s bad in the morning, I’m prepared to work from home.
Since we’re into a new month, I’ve been trying to come up with some good goals for February. My writing goals included putting together the second draft of my novel and sending it to my beta readers, a goal which I accomplished tonight. I’ve set the deadline for the end of this month, which means March will be more revision and formatting. But now, other than the small bit of anxiety I’m getting with actually putting my work out there with the intention of maybe publishing it, I can rest for a few weeks and focus on some other things.
Seriously…even if this book doesn’t happen and even if everyone who reads it hates it, I’m going to feel good about the fact that I’ve gotten this far.
The two main goals for this month are going to be to finish my current/newest knitting project and to recommit to three days a week at the gym. Though I’ve been active (with the exception of last week, which turned into a seven day rest to heal from my illness), I haven’t been putting in the gym time, which is fine, except I’m paying for the membership. Since this might go away soon, depending on the job and money situation, I feel I should take advantage while I have it. Once the weather gets warmer, I’m going to be putting my goal focus into walking and running goals, so might as well take advantage of the gym while the weather dictates.
I may come up with some other goals later. My brain is all over the place right now.
It’s past my bedtime and work is likely to still happen tomorrow, so I’d better get a shower and get some sleep.
Side note: Cress releases tomorrow! I can’t wait! I’d be tempted to stay up until midnight to download it, but that will lead to starting it, which will lead to staying up all night reading it, which means nothing would get done tomorrow, and I need to be functional.
I’m using this weekend as another opportunity for some serious stress relief, and so far, the universe is with me on this.
Last night, after taking Jon to gaming, I hit the gym for a short but effective session before meeting up with the crew at Terry and Erica’s place. During times of high stress, I tend to withdraw. Last night was a reminder of how therapeutic “friend time” can be. We visited, discussed books, and watched a really bad horror movie, complete with our own little Twitter party. There is something hilarious and fun about sitting in the same room with people and only talking via Twitter.
Jon was done with gaming by the time the movie was over, so I picked him up. During the movie, I got a notification that a new geocache went up. We decided to go get it before heading back to Wamego, figuring that since we let about three hours go by, someone would have gotten there before us. It seemed as if the snow kept people in, however, and we got the First to Find! Yay for us! We finally made it home, and after reading a few chapters in the second Iron Druid book, I crashed.
Today was Winter Woolfest at the Columbian Theater, so I was up early to shower and gather my knitting supplies (nothing like waiting until the last minute). I packed light, deciding to take only a set of needles and a small ball of yarn for the instructional sessions. I also walked instead of drove, a daring choice since there were still several slick spots on the roads and sidewalks. I managed to make it without falling.
Since I was limited on spending funds (and the last thing I need to do is add yarn to my current stash), I took advantage of the classes that were going on throughout the day. The first one I took was one on Bavarian twisted knitting. I love the pattern this makes, and though it was a little nerve wracking to cable knit without a cable needle, I loved how easy it was and the look of the finished product.
Practice swatch. I bet I could fit this into one of my upcoming projects.
The second class I took was on new methods of casting on. I’ve done nothing but long-tail for a long time, and I hadn’t bothered to learn any other methods, so this was a good opportunity to try something new. I learned three cast-ons, including the basic knit cast on, a cable cast on, and a modified long tail (I can’t remember the name right now) that makes the cast-on row stretchier (perfect for socks).
I met up with two friends at the ‘Fest, and we went to Toto’s Tacos for lunch. Tortilla soup and a “Burrito Jr.” were today’s choice. The Burrito Jr. was just meat and cheese. It was not small, but it was delicious. There was a line when we got there, but it was worth the wait.
After lunch, we did some vendor browsing before the afternoon sessions. There was tons of beautiful yarn and fiber, but I managed to hold back. I did entertain the idea of trying drop spinning again, but decided to hold off. I might get into spinning someday, but for now, especially with a pending move and a tight budget, I’ll continue to wait for the right time.
The first afternoon session was about blocking. Blocking is one of those things that seem really easy and basic, yet every time I’ve had to block something, it seems hard and nerve-wracking. The session was great. I’m no longer intimidated by the thought of blocking. Now I just need to buy some supplies.
The second session was a demo on braid cording with a lucet, though the technique was also taught with the use of fingers. I liked it, though it will take me some time to really get the hang of it and get it right. Apparently, you can use the technique with torn up t-shirt material to make cowls. I want to try this. The young man from RJ’s QTs (RJ himself, in fact) gave the demo, then sold me on the idea of buying a couple new project bags.
I know someone who loves penguins!
The final session of the day was a lesson on Brioche knitting. It seemed pretty easy, so I think I may have been doing it wrong. However, even if I was, the technique I WAS doing was pretty fun, and I liked the finish product, which looks like regular ribbing except it’s nice and soft and squishy.
We stuck around for door prizes, but no luck this year (though since I’m still loving the Hiya Hiyas I won last year, I’m set for like the next ten Woolfests). V made a suggestion that we go across the street for coffee and pie, but sadly, the restaurant was closed. Not to be thwarted, we moved on down the road and tried two other places before we finally found a place that was 1)open and 2)offering coffee and dessert. Thank you, Rambler’s of Wamego!
I had the brownie sundae, V had the blondie sundae. So delicious!
While indulging in dessert therapy, we chatted about writing and conventions. V is one of my writer friends, and since she’s more knowledgeable on the subject, I like to pick her brain and get her feedback. We drank coffee and visited for a couple hours, finally calling it a night before the sun went down completely.
I walked home, and I walked fast since I didn’t have the foresight to use the restroom before leaving the restaurant (fail). Luckily, many of the ice patches from the morning had melted, so it was a pretty smooth walk. The temperature was perfect, though the slight chill did cause a little bit of lung discomfort (nothing to worry about…it’s happened for years).
Besides the fact that the day was a blast, it also served as a good way to mark some strides in my health and mobility. Though last year was fun, I remember not being able to stand and walk as much. I remember taking frequent sit-down breaks, taking the elevator, and taking as few extra walks as humanly possible. In fact, I’m pretty sure I didn’t take any extra walks. And I drove.
This year, I walked to and from the event. I took the stairs going up at least four times (took the elevator going down, but that’s because going down stairs hurts my knees with legitimate “have to stop walking” pains). I didn’t mind making extra trips, and even took an extra trip back to the restaurant to get a bottle of water. It was seriously awesome.
I’m going to finish up some things online, maybe play some Candy Crush, then lay down to read. The weather is supposed to be really nice tomorrow, so the plan is to go to the zoo to see the animals “open” their enrichment gifts. I love a trip to the zoo. Plus, if it’s as nice as it’s supposed to be, I’m going to soak up as much outdoor therapy as I can to prepare for the coming work week.
Work today was weird, but in a good way. There weren’t very many people in the office (there weren’t many people in the whole building, to be honest), so it was really quiet. I managed to get a bunch of stuff done with a minimum of stress. Definitely my kind of Friday.
However, it was also a very indulgent Friday. I took an early break to get Starbucks for me and some others in the office who were craving a treat. I had failed to get breakfast before coming to work, so I was starving. My choice of treat from the ‘Bucks was a creme brulee latte and a ham, egg, and cheese sandwich. To avoid any delays or limits in the drive thru, I went in to place the order and was greeted by this guy:
Then for lunch…which arrived way sooner than I expected due to the flying of time today…I ventured out and picked up a Little Caesar’s Hot ‘n Ready and some crazy bread for the few of us who were feeling the pizza action. It was delicious, but it was definitely feeling.
I walked on my breaks, but that didn’t seem to help overmuch with the fullness. My current thing is walking and reading. My Kobo Mini is the perfect size to carry in my hand, and since I’ve gotten better at walking, I can now do it on autopilot, which means I can read and still navigate the halls. I’m actually finding this enjoyable, which is good, because it means I’m apt to take more walks and get more steps. I haven’t tried it on the treadmill yet, though I’m sure it would work fine. I wouldn’t even have to hold it, I could just prop it up on the panel. Maybe I’ll try this soon. Might be good for “recovery” days, because…
…I’ve decided to go ahead and try the Couch to 5k program again…this time training to RUN. I’m kind of excited about this. Though I wanted to get the Zombies, Run! 5K app, I think I’m going to hold off and keep it simple for now. I have the free app that Jon and I started doing when I was upping my walk endurance, and I’m going to make some playlists specifically for training. I’ll still do the Zombie missions on most recovery days, and the reading and walking (or reading and doing the sit down machine) will help change things up so I don’t get bored.
I realize this isn’t going to be easy, but I’m up for the challenge. I mean, heck, I couldn’t even walk at the beginning of 2013, and anytime someone said the word “run,” I pretty much figured that was never going to be something I’d do. But I’ve managed to surprise myself by being able to run the zombie chases. Maybe by the end of 2014, I’ll be able to run a short distance.
I figure that even if I run slow, it’s still more fun than walking. And like walking, I’ll slowly but surely increase the length of time I can run at once, since that’s kind of how these things work. We don’t start out awesome, but we can eventually get to a point of awesomeness. My first goal will be to run a mile without stopping. Right now, that goal seems pretty impossible, so just wait until I reach it…that moment is going to get its own reward and blog post.
To kick off this decision, I went to the track today and did the first day of the C25k program, just to get an idea of where I’m starting from. As expected, I’m starting on a pretty low rung of the running ladder. I managed to get through half of the thirty minute session before I reverted to just walking. The program is five minutes of walking to warm up, then alternating sessions of a minute of running and a minute and a half of walking. At the halfway mark, I gave up running for a couple reasons. One, there was ice on the track that I had to be careful of, especially because I was out there without Jon tonight. Two, my ankles were cramping (I really need to figure out a good way to relieve that). Three, for a healthy dose of TMI, I really had to go to the bathroom and since the bathrooms at the rec center aren’t open, I had to be careful of how I moved. I mean…I really had to go.
Walking through the parking lot lake also added to the discomfort, since my feet were nice and wet.
As I said, I’m starting off slow, but I’m actually proud of being able to do that first session for fifteen minutes. Now the first short term goal is to be able to do it for a full thirty minutes. Once I can do that, I can progress into the actual program. Go me! Even that little bit of running was effective. My legs are really sore tonight.
I showered right after getting home, and even though I didn’t check off much of my to-do list today, I think I’m ready to lay down and read for a little while. Tomorrow is supposed to be nice, so Jon and I are going to Topeka. We have to do a little bit of clothes shopping anyway, so we’re making a day of it. We’re going to the zoo and then probably to walk around Gage Park. We might do some geocaching, we might see a cheap movie, we might just cruise around and find ways to get into trouble. Either way, I’m really looking forward to getting out into some good weather.
It was a beautiful Sunday. I know it’s too much to hope that the worst part of winter is over, so I made sure to enjoy the sun and the slightly warmer temperature today by getting out and doing things in the outdoors. After solving another puzzle cache at home, we went out to do some geocaching, grabbing several in the Countdown to Christmas series.
The plan was to get the caches, go to the gym, then go get stuff ready for gaming. Unfortunately, our game was cancelled for the day, so we changed things up a bit. Since we had to go grocery shopping anyway, we went to town to do that before heading back to Wamego. Instead of going to the gym, I used the daylight to do a zombie mission at the rec center track.
I made it around the track twice, walking for forty five minutes. I decided to go ahead and do the zombie chases even though I was walking the longer duration. It wasn’t bad at all. I did four chases and even jogged a little bit longer on one of them. They weren’t as hard as they’ve been in the past, so at some point, I’ll have to legitimately lengthen all of the jogging sections. The fact that I can jog even a little bit is pretty crazy, but I’m loving it!
Jon made us soup and sandwiches for dinner, and I watched The Polar Express to solve another puzzle cache. I also worked on a writing project for my mom. My writing brain doesn’t want to work tonight, so I’ll have to finish that tomorrow. I’m going to finish off the night with a shower and some reading before bed. It wasn’t an overly strenuous day, but I want to be fresh for another Monday. I’m hoping this coming week isn’t as harsh as last week was.
This is going to be a short post because not a lot happened today, and I’m really tired.
The highlight of the day was that we upped our walk from thirty minutes to an hour. I may have mentioned this plan in last night’s post. After our walk last night, Jon mentioned that maybe we were ready to push ourselves a bit more. Because we’re not focusing on speed, our next jump was to increase our endurance. Rather than pick a future time to start this and not have it ever happen, I said I was going to do it tonight, so I set my zombie mission for an hour, and we hit the rec center after doing some grocery shopping.
I didn’t do any zombie chases, because I wanted to pace myself to walk the full hour. I made it two laps around the track and another partial lap around the parking lot. I didn’t stop to rest, I just kept my pace steady the whole time. By the end of the hour, I was hurting a bit. My hips and one side of my lower back were a little sore, and my feet felt raw and tender. But I did it! My zombie mission ended at about thirty six minutes, but I finished out at sixty minutes and five seconds of walking (once the mission is complete, the music still plays and the program still has you pick up supplies. At the very end, I scored a bottle of whisky…in the game, not in real life).
January 2013: couldn’t walk for five minutes without needing to take a break.
December 2013: sixty minutes of walking with no break with plans to do it again soon.
It’s definitely been a good year.
Other than that, the day was busy at work. I almost didn’t even take a lunch break, but Forsh came to my rescue again and brought me some Subway. This was good since I was at that edge of hunger where I was getting downright crabby. Later, I worked on some projects, including….wait for it…starting the revision of one of this year’s Nanowrimo novels. If I can keep that up, I might even be able to let people read it soon.
I’m extremely tired, so I’m calling it a night here. Gotta be up and ready for another day.
I was mentally prepared for the day, which was good, since I had a ton of stuff to tackle and didn’t want to fight against brain fuzz. However, my time management skills were and will be put to the test over the next couple weeks, both due to work commitments and self imposed goals. In relation to those goals, I’m currently enjoying an app/site that one of the webcomic artists I follow on Twitter and Tumblr clued me in on: HabitRPG. As someone who enjoys rpgs, I love the idea of being able to gain experience and level up by cultivating good habits and losing hit points when I give in to the not-so-good ones. It also has a fun rewards system and a to-do list, which makes checking things off even better than checking them off a normal to do list. This might not be for everyone, but so far, I’m having fun with it.
December is the month when I start wanting to organize and purge and finish projects so I can start the new year off with a clean slate. Right now, though, things are crazy. I have a few different projects I have to work on and a few more I want to work on. I also want to enjoy social time, get my daily exercise, and do some geocaching before the weather gets snowy. So tonight was my first test in time management, and I was fairly successful. I didn’t do everything I set out to do, but I accomplished quite a bit. I suppose I could have done something else if I’d avoided Candy Crush Saga, but I need my relax time too. I’m hoping I can time manage my way through the next few weeks.
After work, Jon and I went to grab a couple geocaches. One of the local cachers is doing a Countdown to Christmas puzzle cache series, and we’re trying to solve the puzzles and follow along with it as best we can. We picked up the first two today, which marks our first official puzzle cache finds. There’s a series nearby that we’ve been working on solving, but we have yet to go out to the field and find the physical caches.
Since yesterday was a rest day, we wanted to make sure we got some exercise tonight, and with the weather giving us a couple more days of warmer winter weather, we went to the rec center for a walk and some zombie missions. I realized once we got there that I hadn’t downloaded the next story mission, so I did a supply mission instead. I only did two chases. Halfway around the track, both ankles cramped up, so I had to finish out slow. If I had to guess, I’d say it was because I didn’t pace myself well for this one. I find that the ankles cramp when I start going faster than I have previously. My legs and ankles eventually acclimate, but those first couple times out are rough. From the start, I walked faster than usual and I jogged faster during the chases as well. Breathing was fine, back was fine, legs were fine…but my stupid ankles decided to give me grief.
I’m going to keep pushing through, because we talked about upping our walks to one hour and our gym sessions to forty-five minutes, so that’s a thing that’s probably going to happen soon.
After grabbing some quick dinner, we came home. I helped Jon write some content for his website, then I worked on my own projects. Though I’ve done a good bit of rambling on this post, the day wasn’t anything exciting, but overall, it was good.
I’m sleepy tonight, so it’s off to shower and sleep so we can do it all again tomorrow.
As of 4:30pm yesterday, I’m officially on vacation!
Last night was another late one. After chilling at the Szel Tower for horror movie night, I was feeling pretty sleepy. I picked Jon up from the game store and we headed over to the Forsh house to hang with Rylee for the weekend.
“I am the coolest dog in the world. Seriously.”
Though sleeping in was an option, my mind decided it wanted to wake up at 6:30 and not go back to sleep. So I got up, made a cup of coffee, and worked on my Nanowrimo project. I kicked out about 2,000 words before deciding it might be fun to take a walk around the neighborhood. In all the times we’ve stayed to pet sit, I’ve never taken advantage of the sidewalks around the neighborhood. It would figure I’d decide to finally do it when it was bitterly cold outside.
After I finished the walk and showered, it was really hard to get motivated to go back out in the cold. Originally, we’d planned on going geocaching, but the temperature wasn’t very motivating, so we decided to stick with indoor activities. We might have opted to just stay at the house, but we had some things to do in preparation for the trip, so we ventured out, starting things off with a late breakfast/early lunch at IHOP.
IHOP is always so good in theory, but I’m consistently disappointed with something, usually the service. Today wasn’t horrible, though. My fruit wasn’t as fresh as I’d hoped, but my soup and sandwich made up for it.
We headed to the Jiffy Lube for an oil change and the Flint Hills Discovery Center to see the current art exhibit. We attempted to figure out something else to do, but we ended up coming back to the house, where I played on Pinterest, deciding it was okay to use some of the day to accomplish nothing.
I climbed these by choice. Thirty two steps without getting winded. Win.
Later in the evening, we went out for a gym trip. I was hungry but didn’t want to eat dinner before going to the gym, so we opted for a hot cocoa and a shared bagel for some pre-workout fuel at Hastings. The gym, when we got there, was pretty quiet, so I took the opportunity to do something I’ve been talking about for awhile now: I did the elliptical. I forgot how much I love that machine. The last time I tried it, I barely eeked out five minutes. This time I made it to ten, and it was a fast ten. I stopped at the ten minute mark in an effort to not overdo it. However, several years ago when I’d worked my way up to the elliptical, I started with ten minutes and was kicking it up to a half hour within a month. I’m not sure if that’s going to happen this time, but I’m going to try. That ten minutes felt like the best gym session I’ve had in a long time, which means I need to step it up to make my workouts count when I’m there. Here’s to hoping I’m back in elliptical shape because I really do enjoy it, and unlike my recumbent stepper, every gym I’ve ever been to or seen has an elliptical.
We finished the night off with a catch-up session of American Horror Story: Coven. There are no words. The show just keeps getting weirder and more disturbing and I love every minute of it.
Tomorrow is supposed to be about five degrees warmer. No definitive plans except our Pathfinder game, and gaming is always subject to change. I think we’re just going to play it by ear and roll with our Sunday.
The Romance Factor 