Weekly Rundown- Trails and Sunshine
Welcome to the Weekly Rundown, hosted as always by Kim and Deborah (thanks, ladies!) This week was a good one, and I’m loving all the daylight in the mornings (what’s that you say? Daylight Saving Time? DANG IT.) Here’s how it all went down… Sunday This day started off lazily (I slept till 9 am!!!) but in the afternoon I did a lower body strength workout. Hip stability exercises, squats, and RDLs. I said I wasn’t going to do squats and RDLs on the same day, but I wasn’t using my heaviest weights on these so I figured it was okay. Monday 4 mile run! No school today, so I was able to sleep in a little and run entirely in the daylight, woohoo! Tuesday In the morning I did Caroline Girvan’s deadbug workout; after work I did an upper body workout at the gym. Wednesday 17 mile trail run!!! This run got hard in the last few miles. It was hot, and I didn’t fuel enough. But- live and learn! I finished the miles I set out to do. Thursday Very slow and easy 3 mile run. My quads were a little sore, but I was happy that overall I felt pretty good. I followed this run with a little bit of core- crunches and planks. I kind of forgot about planks- I haven’t done them in a long time. Friday I cued up Caroline Girvan’s deadbug workout again, and then got out the pull up bar. I fully accept the fact that I’ll never be able to do an unassisted pull up- I’ve tried and failed at this too many times. BUT, my daughter has been working with the pull up bar, and she’s inspired me. I’m working on negatives and assisted pull ups with a band. Saturday 5 mile run! It was 60 degrees and this run felt great. After work I had planned to go to the gym with my daughter, but she has a cold and is prioritizing rest (she has a very busy week ahead.) Instead I did a lower body strength workout at home, with squats and hip stability exercises. Sunday OFF! Sleeping in as late as possible… waffles… college basketball… reading. No complaints this week! My low back has been feeling good. My hamstring nagged at me a little, but my long run felt good and I recovered well from it. I’m feeling optimistic that I’ll be able to do my 50 mile race at the end of April IF NOTHING ELSE GOES WRONG. We’ll see what happens! How was your week? Can you do an unassisted pull up?
Figgy Friday!
It’s time for the FIGs of the week! A huge thank you to Elisabeth and her Finding Joy in Gratitude (FIG) Collective. This month would have been pretty bleak without it (can we continue it into March???) Friday My daughter’s band played a concert at the college in our town, Florida Atlantic University. We had to drop her off early, so my husband and I walked around the campus while we waited for the concert to start. I LOVE college campuses! There was a library, an art gallery, a theater… at a time when it seems like intellect and the arts are under appreciated (to put it mildly) it gave me a hopeful feeling. Saturday I didn’t sleep well on Friday night, so after work I took a 90 minute nap. Such a luxury! Sunday It was a day of FIGs! I slept until 9 am (whoa!) and then spent a good chunk of the day cleaning the house. It felt REALLY good to get things under control, and then- since my daughter and husband were both gone in the evening- I rewarded myself with a homemade sub sandwich and… a Coke Zero. It was SO GOOD. Monday Huh, that’s weird. My stomach doesn’t feel good. You mean drinking a barrel of Coke Zero isn’t good for you? Oh well- it was worth it. My FIG for the day is college basketball! Once again- college. I love college sports, more than professional. Baylor’s women’s basketball team was playing, and they won! Really fun game to watch. Tuesday Oooookay. This was a hard day. I went to the gym with my daughter, but her knees were hurting her. Guess who’s fault that was? Mine, obviously. As a matter of fact it turns out there are a LOT of things that are my fault, and I got to hear about every single one of them. At night- more basketball. The Baylor men’s team was playing, and they lost by two points in the last couple seconds. Ugh. Then I got in bed to read my book, and really disliked the ending. UGH. When I turned off the light to go to sleep I decided my FIG for the day is that my bed is VERY comfortable. Wednesday Funny how some days you have to dig deep, and some days are fig-full. It was a day off from work, and I did a long run on the trail… While I ran I listened to this episode of the Rich Roll podcast with Dr Ellen Langer. It was so good! So much great information in podcasts, and it’s all FREE. How is that even possible? I love podcasts. Thursday Thursdays are usually my least favorite day of the week, but this one wasn’t bad. Work went quickly; my daughter and I have resolved our fight; and, I’m reading an Agatha Christie. This is a reread- I read them all in middle and high school, and I never know if I’m going to suddenly remember the entire plot halfway through. So far so good with this one- I don’t remember ANYTHING and I’m enjoying it! Are you participating in the FIG Collective? What are your FIGs for the week?
Reading (and My Word of the Week)
I know- this post is usually “reading and eating.” I have been eating (obviously) but nothing worth sharing. My dinner motivation is at an all-time low. Don’t worry- somehow, we are managing not to starve but dinners have not been photo-worthy. Moving along! I have several books to discuss. First, I read Slow Horses by Mick Herron (no photo because I gave the book away right after I finished it- oops.) This is the first book in a series about M15 spies, who have screwed up their careers in one way or another, and are now referred to as “Slow Horses.” In this story, they have an opportunity to redeem themselves by rescuing a young man who has been abducted- but since this is a spy novel, the situation is not all as it initially seems. I liked this! It was funny, well-written, and the ending was exciting. I would read more in this series, except that I have so many books on my TBR right now, I’m not interested in going down a rabbit hole with any particular author. Maybe someday. Next up- I finished this book: I’m glad I read it because I learned about the fascinating condition acquired savant syndrome. The main character becomes a mathematical and puzzle-solving genius after suffering a brain injury (the syndrome is real! But I think they could have come up with a better name so the acronym isn’t “ASS.”) Anyway… Overall, I didn’t like this book. I thought the ending was bizarre- it’s about mysticism! No, it’s a romance! Wait, it’s about quantum physics! I would have liked it better if it was just a mystery about a guy who solves puzzles- I didn’t like the supernatural elements. Here’s a book I got my husband for Christmas: I noticed it languishing on his bedside table, so I snatched it up. It’s divided into 28 chapters, and the idea is to read a chapter a day. I’m only on Day 3, but I like it! In the introduction he talks about how, with all our efforts to get more done, be more productive, and be in control, our lives can lose their “resonance.” Oooh! You know how some words just leap out at you? I looked up the definition of “resonance” and found a couple: “The quality in a sound of being deep, full and reverberating.” And- “On the same wavelength as the universe or divine intelligence.” One more- “emotional resonance is about empathizing, feeling, and truly connecting with others.” Resonance! My word of the week. What are you reading? If you had a word of the week, what would it be? Top photo by Glen Carrie on Unsplash
How Things Seem
I’m currently reading The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni. The premise of the book is fascinating: as a young man, Mike Brooks suffered a brain injury which resulted in acquired savant syndrome. “He had a photographic memory that allowed him to reproduce structures and images with perfect recall and an ability to do instant numerical calculations, including calendar counting, reciting pi places into the thousands, and calling up numerical solutions to complex equations in seconds.” I’ll talk more about the book when I’ve finished it (I have some reservations about the plot line right now) but the fascinating thing is- acquired savant syndrome is a real thing. It’s incredibly rare, but regular, ordinary people have been known to acquire extraordinary skills in math, music, and art after a head injury alters their brain. Does this mean that my brain is actually capable of incredible mathematical feats? Is mathematical genius hidden in my brain, just waiting for a sharp knock to unlock it? I don’t mean to make light of brain injuries- I know that’s a serious subject. But this particular type of brain injury is intriguing. In the book I read before this, Death’s End by Cixin Liu, there’s a part of the story where the characters experience life in four dimensional space. Unlike acquired savant syndrome, this is obviously entirely fictional. No one in real life has entered four dimensional space (or- at least that I know of) but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. ‘The world exists in three dimensions”; “I’m terrible at math”; are these “truths” really true? Did you know that some insects and birds can see patterns on leaves and plants that we can’t see? We think a leaf is green- but that’s only what our minds are perceiving. Other eyes see something else. Sometimes I like to challenge my own beliefs- am I sure this is true? Could something else be true if I looked at it in a different way? Are the way things seem the way they really are? Is my brain actually capable of reciting pi into the thousands (ummm… on that last one I’m going to have to say no way, Jose.) Thanks for indulging my Deep Thoughts! Have you read anything lately that really fascinated you? Top photo by Sachin Khadka on Unsplash