Monday, February 19, 2007

How do you spell 'rest?'

The half-marathon training schedule has me doing some kind of run – easy, speed/tempo or long – on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The remaining three days are rest or cross-training days. I've been using the rowing machine for 30 minutes on Tuesdays and Fridays, along with some light weight-training. So I spell 'rest' R-O-W. Usually.

I have the best of intentions for cross-training on Sunday, but it hasn't happened yet. Including yesterday. Yesterday 'rest' was spelled S-I-T O-N M-Y A-S-S A-N-D K-N-I-T A-L-L D-A-Y.

The sum total of my physical activity consisted of shoveling and spreading salt on a path from the house to the garage and then walking on it so I could go watch television and knit.

Oh, and the path? Covered. With snow. Thankyouverymuch, Mother Nature.

Here's the view from the porch, looking down the driveway, early yesterday afternoon. When I looked at the photo from the display on the back of the camera I thought there was some kind of debris on the lens. Turns out it's a bird [circled in the photo] flying backwards in the fierce wind.

I'm not sure how the training gurus have figured out that the fifth week should be full of easy runs, but that's what it is. Four days of four-mile runs, with the usual three rest days. Since it's supposed to be warmer this week [except today], I might run and rest [walk] outside. Although the last time I set out for a walk I ended up running after all.

Grumpy has listed some of her more memorable non-scale victories [NSVs] – always good to contemplate when the going gets boring. Yesterday I was in the lower level of the garage and heard the phone ring in the upper level. I ran up the stairs and answered the phone, as if I'd been walking from one room to the other. No panting, no shortness of breath, no lumbering cow comparisons. Our voice mail picks up after four rings; I picked up in the middle of the third.

My other favorite is my rings. I wear a ring that belonged to my grandmother on my right hand, and it's been slip-sliding away for quite some time now. When Mr. Shrinking Knitter and I bought my wedding ring, it fit very snugly. But a month later, when I took it to a jeweler for resizing, she said it should fit somewhat snugly, and if I was losing weight I should probably leave it as it was. So I did, and now it's slip-sliding away, as well. It's not as loose as Grandma's ring, but I do love having to twist it around so the stones are on top of my finger where they're supposed to be.

And yours? What's your favorite NSV?

Sixty-eight days until race day.

5 comments:

Jack Sprat said...

"... bird flying backwards in the fierce wind ..." You have GOT to be kidding! Brrrrrrrr. Living in California clearly has weakened my ability to withstand winter!

Whether done on a treadmill or outside, I find your runnning to be inspiring and motivational. I love the visual of zipping upstairs to grab the phone and not being short of breath! Keep up the amazing good work!

-J

annie said...

My favorite NSV is being able to feel my collar bone. I had no idea I was so fat there! But I can see it now, and I touch it from time to time to remind myself of what I've accomplished so far.

By the way, thanks for the tip about putting the pedometer on the tongue of the shoe. Much better, and more accurate. I'm in two fitness challenges at work, so I've been wearing mine nonstop since mid-January. It was clipped to a pair of heavy socks the other night, and I forgot, and wore it to bed! I can safely say that I don't have "restless leg syndrome". And luckily, the 12 pound cat that sleeps by my legs didn't reset it before I logged the count!

denise said...

My NSV's are distant memories now that I've managed to gain back most of the 60 lbs I lost a couple of years ago. But I remember noticing for the first time in the gym mirror that I'd suddenly grown a neck!

I told my trainer he was going to get me kicked out of my family, as we are traditionally a no-neck tribe with heads that appear to just sit right on our shoulders! ;-)

It was cool having a neck for a year or so, but it's filling back in now as my chin and shoulders meld back together... :-(

Another favorite NSV was one time when I was shaving my legs and I felt a lump on my leg. My first thought was "now what?!?" figuring that I had developed some kind of weird leg goiter or something. Then I realized...it's a muscle!!

I look forward to reliving those great moments of NSV history someday in the near future...

Lori G. said...

For me, a NSV recently was being able to put on a pair of socks that were allegedly (as I put it) knee highs. And, they actually went up my knees! I still have crankles but knee socks.

BTW, shoveling and spreading sand isn't exactly sitting on your duff, Ms. Shrinking Knitter.

Debra said...

My favorite NSV at the moment is a re-awaking of dreams:

returning to WV to white water raft next year (first time in 25 years). And I'm putting "hike the Grand Canyon" down for 2009.

I'm also happy to look in the mirror in the morning and NOT see my father's jowls.