Friday Quote Day

"The only thing that stands between a [wo]man and what s/he wants from life is often merely the will to try it and the faith to believe that it is possible."

~ Richard M DeVos

Of course you know those little changes in gender are mine. I'm sure Richard won't mind.

Isn't this appropriate after yesterday's discussion about hanging in there in spite of no progress? It's that old KOKO again, which is a theme to which I frequently return. Because, um, if I weren't KOKOing I'd be fat again. Heh.

I soooo appreciate the thoughts and comments you left yesterday. It's always good to know I'm not hanging out on this plateau all alone, and it's especially good to focus on the positives, which you always, always point out to me.

So far this week I've run 20 miles. I have to do my first 10-miler tomorrow [and from the forecast I might be running in the rain]. That's 30 miles! The last time I did 30 miles in one week was at least 10 years ago, when I was at my very highest level of fitness as an adult. I'm pretty psyched about doing it again. Today, however, we rest.

Completely unrelated but strangely interesting, I've read about bento lunches twice already this morning – once here, and once in the comments here. Do you bento? I don't pack my lunch, so I can only admire the X-treme cuteness of it from afar. I don't want to go look for a job just so I can bento.

Okay, this is going to sound kind of vain, but you know when you're kind of relaxed and stretched out on the couch and your calves are kind of just blobbing out there with a mind of their own? Mine don't do that any more! My calves, while larger than I'd like, are solid, whether they're flexed or relaxed.

Just thought I'd share. Heh.

And now, we interrupt this fitness blog for some knitting content.

Sometimes knitting projects just don't work out. Most of the time you can rip it out and start over – at least the yarn is salvageable, unlike a botched sewing project. Once the fabric is cut incorrectly you're usually screwed.

The times when knitting projects don't work out is when you intentionally shrink them. Technically that's called "fulling," but most folks nowadays call it "felting." Last time I visited my daughter I bought a Noni pattern called the Rather Large Carpet Bag, which is supposed to look like that very cool bag on the right.

Here's the before-and-after of my Rather Sorry-Looking and Very Huge Carpet Bag:

On the left, it is a piano-bench cozy. On the right, it is a too-wide and not-deep-enough mass of wrinkled, misshapen wool.

I guess I could cut the sides off and use the remaining fabric for something else. Coasters, maybe? Hot pads? Purple is soooo not a part of my kitchen/dining room [or any other room in my house] décor.

But to tie this failed knitting project back to today's quote, I am absolutely convinced it is possible to make a cool and perfectly proportioned, carpetbag-sized purse. Others have done it; you can Google for scads of photos of completed projects. I just need to try again. And believe it can happen.

And maybe I should double-check my gauge.

Thirty-six days until race day.