Tuesday, November 18, 2008

dark cold wind ice

I think the problem with the 20 degree weather in November is that we just aren't ready for it. One day it is 60, the next it is 20. And 20 feels VERY cold at this point. In February, we will be dreaming of 20 and we will likely wear shorts when it hits this high of a temp. But for now - COLD.

I am trying to figure out how to get motivated to run outside more this winter. There are currently four deterrents that I am coming up with: cold, wind, dark and ice or any combination of the four. Cold dark icy wind. Windy cold icy dark. Icy windy dark cold. You name it.

Dark. Easy to see this is an issue in many ways. You cannot see where you are going, what you might step on. And the obvious personal safety concerns. But it happens to be dark nearly 15 of the 24 hours available in a day.

Cold. Requires an investment in UA cold gear. Then, you put the stuff on, the mock neck, the gloves, the hat, the running tights, etc. and you sweat like no other.

Wind. An exclamation point to the cold.

Ice. I am all about avoiding injury. With this as a big part of my personal workout philosophy, ice is completely non-negotiable.

Now to determine a course of action. Some ideas:

Indoors. Only an indoor track for me. I loathe the treadmill, especially for running. I will do it if there is nothing else available, but it is torturous. Life Time in Bloomington, here I come.

Spinning. Enjoy the fun of indoor biking all winter long.

Core. It is supposed to be the "Winter of Core" (more posts on that later, going to "Butts & Guts" tonight), so get over the cardio addition and relax.

Dark cold wind ice. Thicken up that skin (oh wait, it is) and get your substantial fat layer outside to run.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Meet Lucy

I know it may seem, at this point, that my blog is a big marketing festival, littered with all of the crap that I have come to love. Get used to it.

Allow me to introduce you to Lucy.

Being a person that has just stayed in her own house all day and not once stepped outside, Lucy is the apparel of choice. Even if I did not get out of my pajamas and into my Lucy until 2:45 PM. Still comfy. Yes, there is some good Lucy stuff for working out and sweating and such. But frankly, if I stayed home each and every day I would find a way to earn enough case to purchase Lucy clothing. The official clothier of working (or not) from home. There are yoga pants for sitting around in. There are hoodies of all sorts. There are t-shirts with those cute twisted fronts for those of us with no boobs. I like most everything because they use a lot of cotton with spandex and/or stretchy polyester.

I cannot say that I own a ton of Lucy apparel. It is pricey for what it is - cute, respectable sweats, essentially.

But if you have given up and are ready to comfort, you should invest. The fabrics and designs are far superior to the mass merchants. Sign up on their website and they will e-mail you coupons. Go to a store and sign-up for their snail mail list. This way you can get Lucy for less.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

My Personal Relationship with Chipotle

Chipotle. You have always been there for me. Since we first met in 2000 via fax-in order, my life has never been the same. It was that day that I had carnitas soft tacos with corn salsa and sour cream. I will never forget the impression you made on me.

From that day forward, I had to have you (at least weekly). I had to go and find you, take it all in in-person. Fax simply would not do. I would gather as many of my friends as I could to take the stroll over the skyway and stand in line at 50 South Sixth. And the lines were long. Everyone wanted a piece of you.

We would stand outside the glass for several minutes before reaching the doors. Once we crossed the threshold the sounds, the smells of your goodness would overtake us. We would chatter in excitement. What would it be today?

The usual? Perhaps. It started as a chicken burrito with pinto beans, medium salsa, sour cream and cheese. This was consistent for some time. I would cut it in half and eat the gooey insides of the burrito, getting it down to a reasonable size for normal consumption. Until every last bite was gone.

But as I grew (and I mean GREW) and changed, my burrito had to change as well. I could no longer afford the calories that the flour burrito that could envelop my thigh brought to the table. I had to make a major life change. I had to go with the bowl.

It was a gradual change. At first I started filling the bowl the same as the burrito. But, life is too short, and the desire for more, for a unique, adventurous relationship began. I would try the steak, back to what originally attracted me – the carnitas, also the barbacoa. The experimentation was delightful. It made me love you even more.

And the chips, how could I forget the chips? With a bowl and a lime and sea salt encrusted chip for scooping, I could not have been more delighted. I could crunch through a bag with others quickly, talking about our busy days and our crazy lives. But also taking a moment for you, Chipotle.

During these times of change, as the love grew, I campaigned for you and your attention. I sent e-mails to your corporate offices and made it know there was new retail space for development just over a mile from my home. Imagine how much closer we could become if we could see each other on the evenings and weekends? We could share so much more together, our lives would see the benefit of the intersections that are now numerous. I cannot express how joyful I was, and am still, to see you every single day. I may not always stop, but I always smile.

And yet, through all of this change, I still needed to downsize my body. You listened again. A salad? For me? With Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette? You do love me, you do. During the hard times, the weight loss times you gave me even more reason to depend on you Chipotle, my dear Chipotle. I was able to shift my usual to the salad, with chicken, black beans, mild, medium and corn salsas – hold the cheese and sour cream, please. But honey – PLEASE give me that Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette. You really know how to spice things up.

And suddenly, once the weight came off during that year, and I was ready to break out and experiment again, you really did it. With such humility and respect. It had been right there before me for all of these years: guacamole. You never insisted, you never pushed. You just let the guacamole be guacamole and you let me be me. Until one day, I finally noticed. I noticed this amazing gift that had always been right there. I had been too busy. Maybe too young, too naïve to think that I could love anything else more than what you had already offered more. But now I do. I cannot even imagine life without a little guac on the side – how did I ever live without it?

They have tried to keep us apart. Construction in City Center. Eight months with no direct link to your 76th & Lyndale location. This did not stop us, it made our hearts grow fonder still.

Others have showed their love. You think I have not noticed the men and women in uniform always with you? The police officers, state troopers, paramedics, fire fighters, etc. I see them there. I trust you, and them.

But truly, it has been eight years. We have been through so much. It all started with a fax order and now we have the guac. My life is richer and more interesting because you are in it. You have been patient with me, giving. I only hope that I am giving enough back. (A minimum once per week frequency represents one of your best customers, right? Good margin on the salad, I trust?)

Still sick, trying to determine course of action

It is technically day 7 of the sickness, day 5 for the full-scale version. This is really putting a cramp in my style. It does make fitness difficult. Especially when you have cold-like symptoms vs flu-like symptoms and all you can hear in your head is, "feed a cold, starve a fever". Voila! This is the solution and my ticket to starting winter slothdom early. The thirty-one degrees and flurries outside does not help the cause.

I am teetering between just going all out, full on cardio work out or perhaps just giving in to temptation and eating a giant slice of poundcake from Starbucks. Per my own philosophy of balance, typically I would do both and be done with it.

Last night, I did receive a fair warning from a friend (thank you, SA), that I need to be cautious in my pursuit of activity when ill. She experienced a classmate's death (yes, seriously serious) from a virus attacking his heart. She has done some research on this case and found that when ill, if you push your body too far, freak things such as this can happen. Don't want anything like that going on.

So here I sit in Starbucks with my decaf Wild Orange Hot Tea, just yards away from that golden, moist, dense poundcake. And a reminder that it is nearly time for lunch and that would not be sensible at this time regardless of feeding the cold.

Shifting gears and dreaming of salsa instead. It might just have a shot at helping to clear this thing up!

Monday, November 10, 2008

Rewards

I am so getting this for myself as a reward (with a real cupcake) if I can get this book written!

Tiffany's Cupcake Charm

Writer or runner? Both?

Trying to convince myself that being a runner means that I can be a writer. Here is my current argument with myself that is pretty convincing.

RUNNER
Mental over physical
Can run anywhere
Need fuel to keep going
Time of day/amount of sleep is material to performance
Technology helps performance
Looking forward to that "runner's high"
something > nothing
Helps to wear comfortable clothes
Can run with dog on leash
Cake as reward is motivation

WRITER
Mental over physical
Can write anywhere
Need fuel to keep going
Time of day/amount of sleep is material to performance
Technology helps performance
Looking forward to that "writer's high"
something > nothing
Helps to wear comfortable clothes
Can write with dog on lap
Cake as reward is motivation