Weekly Rundown- Embracing the Glop
Oh, hello there! Welcome to the weekly rundown, hosted as always by the indomitable Kim and Deborah. What’s that you’re asking? Oh… glop. WELL… This week I listened to this podcast episode with Alexi Pappas. Alexi was one of three guests who talked about athletic goals, values, motivation, and training. But every time Alexi talked, she was mesmerizing. I could have gotten rid of the other two guests and just listened to Alexi talk all day. One thing she talked about was how, when a caterpillar goes into its chrysalis, it doesn’t just sprout wings and become a butterfly. It turns from a caterpillar into a puddle of “glop” and from there, transforms into a butterfly. When we’re injured or have down time for any reason, instead of wishing we could go back to the way we were, we should understand that we’re in the middle of a great transformation. Rather than going back to our old selves, imagine the new and beautiful creature we’re about to become. See… I told you Alexi is fascinating. Monday This was my second time running since getting my new orthotics and recovering from Covid, so I repeated my run from Saturday; I walked a mile and ran a mile. Yes! Glop. Tuesday I did a power yoga class (on the Peloton app with Denis Morton) but also added pushups. It’s come to my attention that I desperately need upper body strength work, and my son is the pushup bully. Those pushups hurt- proof that I need them. Wednesday Another run! This time I walked a mile and ran TWO miles! Baby steps! Followed this run with some of my old favorite hip exercise, Runner’s Touch. I forgot how beneficial this is, and want to get back to doing it on a regular basis. Later in the morning I had another shockwave treatment. I was finally, FINALLY able to report that I’m seeing some progress with the foot. He added a magnetic therapy treatment, free of charge. Yes, please! Give me everything! The magnet treatment didn’t hurt, which was a refreshing change- those shockwave treatments are painful. Thursday Another power yoga class followed by pushups. Ouch. Friday I repeated Wednesday’s run- walk one mile, run two miles. It was an early run and I was treated to a nice sunrise. Saturday I was all set to do a power yoga class, when I accidentally started an update on my computer. NOOOOO! While I was waiting for that to install (grr) I did my pushups and Runners Touch. Still waiting, so I held a plank… still waiting… did side planks… finally my computer was ready, but my time was limited because I had to go to work. I did a quick 20 minute glute focus flow. My glutes were already tired by that time, and my legs were trembling while doing Warrior 3. It felt good to be that tired, though! Sunday I’m really starting to miss having a long run adventure on Sundays, and I thought about going to the trail and doing a longer run/walk. My heart was pulling me back home though- I wanted to be here to make a nice breakfast for my kids. Next Sunday my son will be gone. So I decided to embrace the glop a little longer, and did a 4 mile loop near my house. I walked half a mile, ran two miles, walked another half mile, and ran one more mile. That was my exciting week! How was your week? Did you set New Year’s goals or resolutions? How is it going so far?
January Coffee Date- Moving On
Guess what- I got ANOTHER NEW MUG! It wasn’t my fault- my Secret Santa at work gave me this awesome Harry Potter mug. It’s heat sensitive, so when it’s cold it says “I solemnly swear I am up to no good” and when it gets hot, it turns into the Marauder’s Map. It’s the perfect mug for my post-Christmas Earl Grey tea! Thanks as always to Coco and Deborah for hosting this monthly coffee date. If we were having coffee (tea) together, I would tell you… We took down Christmas, or as we like to say, we “Grinched” the house. This might come as a shocking surprise, but when you go all out with your decorating, it takes a REALLY LONG TIME to take it down again. Everything from the bathroom had to be washed- shower curtains, rugs, towels, plus some of our beds had Christmas sheets on them… it was a big project, which took two days. You would think that would deter me from over-decorating next year, but on the contrary, my son and I have decided that next year will be the BEST CHRISTMAS EVER! We got a little gypped this year, since we were sick on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, so we’re going to make up for it. The theme for next Christmas is “Bigger and Better,” and I already have some ideas about that. I know… you’re thinking, “Jenny- is this your idea of moving on? Planning next Christmas on January 7th?” Well… yes. Yes, it is. It makes me feel better to remember that Christmas will come again, and I’m enjoying making a list of ideas for next year. If we were having coffee together, I would ask if there are any new Covid protocols where you are. We found out that soon we’ll start wearing N-95 masks at work, and my first thought was, “I’m quitting.” I know there are people who have been wearing them all along, but I really can’t imagine wearing one all day. Especially since some of the massages I do are very physical- even wearing a regular mask is uncomfortable. It’s even more annoying because I JUST HAD COVID, so I’m pretty sure I’m immune (for now.) Obviously they can’t make an exception for those of us who already had Covid- that would get too complicated. But I’m really unhappy about this. I’m not really going to quit (not yet, at least) but I’m hoping that the shipment of masks gets delayed. Everything else seems to be unavailable or delayed, so… fingers crossed. On a completely different subject, is anyone else semi-confused by the fact that the Winter Olympics starts in less than a month? I’m having a little trouble wrapping my mind around it, but I guess it’s something to look forward to. Obviously it’s not as much fun as the summer Olympics (there’s no running!) but it will still be something to watch. Especially the figure skating- everyone loves figure skating. Well, that’s it for this month. Do you wear a mask all day at work? What kind of mask? Can I survive in an N-95? Did you take down your Christmas decorations yet? And, how do you feel about the Winter Olympics? Hope you’re enjoying a delicious hot beverage (in a nice mug!)
Start
Ugh. Today we’re taking down the Christmas decorations, which is probably my least favorite day of the entire year. I’ve mentioned before that I have trouble with endings, and Christmas is a big one. Yesterday when I was moaning about this transition, my son pointed out that you have to end one thing before you can start another. I’m trying to look at this de-Christmas-ing of the house as a start and not an ending… because, not coincidentally, my word for 2022 is “Start.” I know, it seems kind of obvious. It feels like I should have a more elevated, fancy word, like “Emerge” or “Achieve.” But when I was thinking about one-word themes, I kept coming back to “Start.” It’s a good word for January, but I think it will serve me well throughout the year. There are always things to start, and I like to remind myself of Mary Poppins’ line, “Well begun is halfway done.” Sometimes you just have to take that first step, or the first ornament off the tree, and then the task is on its way to completion. I also think about the famous Arthur Ashe quote, “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” In order to start where you are, you have to take a good, long look at your situation. If you’re going to pilot an airplane to New York, you have to know where you’re starting from. If you’re starting from Cleveland but you think you’re starting from Chicago, you’ll never get to New York. So why is it so depressing to end Christmas? Why does regular life feel so blah? Should it feel this blah? Maybe I need to examine my work life, personal relationships, and leisure time activities to see where things are falling short. Then, of course, there’s running. I spent all of 2021 wishing I were running faster and farther. I pushed things as much as I could, in between flare-ups of my ongoing foot issue. Getting sick at the end of the year, and the enforced rest, was almost a relief. I started up again by walking, and then running a mile. I’m determined to take things slowly while my foot gets used to the new orthotics. I’ll get to where I want to be, as long as I start exactly where I am. So that’s my word for 2022! Throughout the year, if a task seems daunting, I’ll remind myself to take that one first step. And I’ll take some time to reflect on where I am, so I’ll know exactly where I’m starting from. I’m linking with Kim and Zenaida for their Tuesday Topics this week! How about you? Do you have a word for 2022?
Weekly Rundown- New Year, New Everything!
Well, well… we made it. You know how, in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Dumbledore’s phoenix, Fawkes, bursts into flames and is then reborn from the ashes? Well, I feel like I kind of burst into flames at the end of 2021, but now I’m ready to rise again! How’s that for a dramatic start to the weekly rundown? I’m linking up as always with Kim and Deborah (thanks for hosting, ladies!) The week was a bit unusual, but ended strong! Let’s get started. Monday So tired. Rewind to Christmas Eve- I had a horrendous sore throat (which turned out to be Covid) but didn’t experience any unusual fatigue for the first couple days. It all caught up with me though, and Monday looked a lot like this: Tuesday My cat was hilarious- every time she saw me lie down on the couch she would run over to snuggle with me. Wednesday Weird thing- I was feeling better except my legs were so achy. Like one lower leg would ache, then that would go away and the other hip would ache, then both hip flexors would ache… I wasn’t too worried about it, but it was annoying. I decided it was time to start moving a little more, so I did a yoga class with Denis Morton on the Peloton app. That felt good, but didn’t relieve the achiness. Advil helped though (once again, a big thanks to Advil for making this holiday possible.) Thursday Enough is enough! I had fulfilled my seven days of quarantine and it was time to get outside. I had a lovely walk, using my new orthotics. As a matter of fact, I wear them all the time now. When I’m in the house I have them in an old pair of running shoes that I can slip on and off like slippers- so they go on as soon as I get up in the morning. Walked 2.5 miles and it felt amazing to be out in the sunshine. After this, the leg aches never came back. I don’t know if it was the walk that did it, or if it was time for that to end anyway. Although I felt much better, energy-wise, I was still coughing and sniffling. I was scheduled to go back to work on Friday, so I took a Covid test just to be sure, and it came out… positive. Noooooooooooooo! I work in such close contact with people, giving massages, and a lot of my clients are elderly, so my boss and I decided to give it a couple more days. Sigh. In other news, my daughter turned thirteen! It was another in a long line of unexciting birthdays for her. Poor girl- December 30th is not a good birthday, and this year was especially blah. I did make a cake: Friday I realized we have a trampoline in our backyard! Bouncing on a trampoline is supposed to be really good for your immune system- I should have been doing that all along! I jumped for 20 minutes and then did some rehab-type hip exercises, which left me sore, but in a good way. Not achy sore, but getting-stronger-sore. New Year’s Eve was uneventful. My husband was supposed to be playing a show, but it was canceled because the drummer had Covid. It was nice having everyone home. We ate pizza, watched a movie, saw the ball drop in Times Square, and went to bed. Woohoo! Saturday Happy New Year! Or, as the saying goes, “New Year, New Foot.” There was absolutely no way I was NOT running on the first day of 2022. Given all the recent developments, I decided to behave as if I were starting fresh as a beginner. I walked a mile and then ran a mile. When I first started to run, my breathing was so labored I wondered if I really was starting as a beginner- but by the end of that mile I felt amazing! It was only a mile, but it was the perfect start to the year. At night we watched Baylor win the Sugar Bowl!!! All our holidays were so low-key this year, I tried to make it as festive as possible. Sunday Moving forward, I’m planning to run every other day in January while I build back up. On tap for today is yoga, and taking down the outdoor Christmas lights (boo hoo! Taking them down is so much less fun than putting them up.) And… getting ready to go back to work tomorrow. Back to real life! Do you like the week between Christmas and New Year’s? I feel like it’s so distinctive, it should have a special name. The only thing I’ve been able to come up with so far is “In- Betweek.” Still working on it. Are you sorry to see the holidays end, or ready to get back to real life! – A little bit of both, for me.