Of Moose And Men
The Best Laid Plans Of Both Often Go Astray

Is it bad that I bought a bicycling helmet that was fancy expensive enough to come with its own carrying case? Needed Wanted a new helmet for racing & to train on the tri bike, plus I needed beaucoup hydration equipment (read: I left all my water bottles at the old place), so it was off to the bike shop yesterday evening on the way to the club happy hour to pick up a few things. Was a successful trip, getting their last between-the-aero-bars water bottle, the helmet and a couple regular water bottles. Did forget to pick up arm warmers, but hopefully they won’t be needed any time in the near future.

Ran this morning, another successful run with no calf pain. Went out the same way, along the marina and up to L’Enfant Promenade to zip across the Case bridge, but this time I popped down into the park and ran around the Washington Channel and back that way, so a more varied loop than Monday’s run, and about a 1/3 of a mile or so longer. A lot of concrete out there, which is going to take some getting used to.

I set my old roomba loose on the floors this morning (since I’ve yet to swiffer them *whistles innocently*), and it seems to be running just fine. It didn’t like the old place, but I suspect we had too many obstacles set up for it to run well. Now that most boxes are out of the way, and I have no carpets down yet, it seems to be happily bumping it’s way through the bedroom, sucking up dirt. Let’s hope it helps with some of this dust that’s all over the floors.

I’ve determined that I’m never going to be a good gamer. I’ve not picked up the DS but once or twice since I’ve been here, and that was to place Advance Wars or Sonic Rush. I don’t think I’ve been to Animal Crossing in a couple weeks now; all my ‘neighbors’ will have run away and the place will be overgrown with weeds again. Ah well.

Nothing quite like having your hair stylist ask if you want to have her trim your eyebrows. This after a morning spent plucking the odd long hairs out of my ears. Ah, the joys of aging.

In happier news, I biked a couple loops around Hains Point this morning on the tri bike, nice 40 minute ride (seriously, seriously have to get more water bottles and soon). After getting ready I decided it was time to try biking into work. Commute time, door to door: 10 minutes. 7:40 of that was actually riding (1.3 miles), the rest was getting down in the elevator, locking up the bike and getting up to my office.

It’s hard not to gloat about a 10 minute commute. Oh, who am I kidding, I’m gloating. Full-on, doing the happy Snoopy dance gloating. Gloating with my shaggy eyebrows.

Having food at home is a good thing. Cooked yesterday (just some frozen pasta & sauce) for the first time, and made a good salad this evening. Starting to feel like home, finally, with some food in the fridge & cabinet (and my belly).

Work’s been odd this week, with absolutely no one in the office on Monday when I got in, which is really, really bizarre as I’m usually the very last person to get there in the morning. Easter Monday, go fig. And otherwise it’s just been a strange mix of busy and not-busy. And of course the last place I want to be is at work, preferring to be at home getting things together. Whee.

Calf is still okay, so I’m hopeful it’ll be okay when I run tomorrow or Friday (haven’t decided if I want to run or bike tomorrow). Swam this evening, pretty good swim, and not too busy in the pool, which was a pleasant change from the mornings. I still want to check out the two closer pools, but if an evening swim would be less crowded, that might be a better option (since I do like the YWCA facility overall).

Took my first run in the new place this morning, my first run in about two weeks. I was a tad nervous – the reason I’d not been running was because of chronic calf strain so had taken the time off to let it heal up. I had originally planned to bike this morning, but it’s a tad cool out, I didn’t feel like bundling up for a bike ride, and with the on-and-off rain we’re getting here it was easier to just throw on running clothes and get going.

Ran down to the waterfront, along the marina, up to L’Enfant Promenade and across the Case Bridge (aka the 12th Street Bridge). Made it to the other side of the bridge and was over East Potomac Park, but turned around there (at 15 minutes in) and didn’t enter the park itself. The run was nice, my calf is feeling okay thus far, and I stretched it thoroughly after I got back. I’m keeping my fingers crossed, since I am supposed to do this little 1/2 ironman race in less than two months, and not being able to run would be a slight impediment to that goal.

This is my first day back at work after the move, so I get to see what the commute to work is like. I’m walking, even in the rain, so it’ll be interesting to see how long it takes, especially after I just ran most of the route I’ll take to work. I sense somehow that I’ll manage to bike up there more often than not, just because I’m too impatient to deal with the walking pace. But not this morning; this morning I walk.

Presta valves are now my bitches. Evidently you have to unscrew them to blow ’em up. Who knew? (not I, obviously)

Rode over to the bike store, it was closed (some religious holiday, I think; Happy (C2 H5)20). Thankfully a group had stopped in front, including a fellow club member and one of the shop’s mechanics, who showed me how to work the valve. So no money spent (grr), but the tires are now inflatable and inflated (yay).

I recently upped the amount of protein I’m taking in, in order to help with my training. Picked up some Spiru-Tein soy protein powder and have been having a shake in the morning with breakfast. I do notice that I’m not as hungry mid-morning as I usually am (the joys of the lessened appetite effect that comes from eating more protein), but that’s about it thus far. The only other effect was to notice that I don’t currently own a blender (I’ve been using Richard’s), so I had to order one, as well as a toaster, to be delivered to the new place. Hopefully they’ll be there before next week’s move-in date.

Okay, time for my Pet Peeve of the Day™: If the urinal has a foot pedal for flushing it, men, you have no excuse not to push the thing down and flush the urinal once you’re done. You’re not touching the handle with your bare hand, you’re stomping it with a covered foot; there’s little to no chance you’d pick up any extra germs that way. So don’t be lazy and remember to flush. ‘kthnxbye.

I think I may have to go back and see my physical therapist and/or a coach about my running. The sore calf keeps intermittently coming back, and it’s starting to get me worried about my race in June. If I can’t run more than a 1/2 hour at a time without pain, it’s kinda hard to imagine doing a 1/2 marathon at the end of the tri without injuring myself pretty badly. So the PT gets called today to set up an appointment, I think.

Drove down to the home of the parental units today. The drive was uneventful, though I seem to have maintained my case of leadus footus, and managed to get here in a little under 3.5 hours. I’m reminded of why I enjoy not owning a car, and not driving on a regular basis – it drives me batty (no pun intended). People don’t get out of the way when they’re not passing, they go slow in the left lane, they don’t use turn signals, etc. Ugh. But I got here just fine.

The niece is enjoying Super Princess Peach, and ’twas fun seeing her. My brother, on the other hand, lives like a pig. Admitedly, he was sick the past couple of days, but their apartment is an absolute mess, with stuff everywhere. Glad he’s not in a highrise or he’d have had bugs all over the place – they love that kind of environment. I shudder just thinking about it.

Showed my parents pictures of the new place via snapfish. I’ll get them uploaded & posted here sometime this next week, after I’m back.

Otherwise it’s quiet here. Going to do some shopping tomorrow with the ‘rents, and I think we may be doing cake for the niece. After that drive I should sleep like the dead tonight, and then I have to figure out if I want to swim or run tomorrow. Either would be good, it’s a matter of where & how long.

The Little Piggy Who Stayed Home is a trifle sore, and I can tell the nail is a tad darker than usual, but oddly enough it was completely pain-free on my run this afternoon. The dress shoes are another story, but those are never large enough for my toes, even at 2E width (I wear 4E width in running shoes). Doesn’t help to have odd feet.

Am definitely addicted to Super Princess Peach now. It took a bit to figure out that the water wheels had to be cried upon to get them to move, and the windmill had to be cycloned to get it to move, but now that I’ve learned their tricks I was able to move up two levels tonight. Such fun.

Tried to swim tonight, but the Y, as usual, never updates their web site so they had a class in there when I wanted to go in, so I got some Thai food, then groceries, then home to goof off.

I’m excited about the move, but honestly, I just want it over and done with. I want the end result, but not the process (unlike, say, triathlon, where the process is more the point). And I’m worried about window treatments, of all the odd things. I don’t need any in the living room yet, but I will need some in the bedroom so I can sleep (which means I want it as dark as possible at night). And I have no clue what’s out there, or what I want. I only know that whatever faces the outside of the building has to be white, per the cult rules (so, a liner or sheers on the inside/outside?). Ugh.

Headed home this weekend to see my parents, my brother, his wife, my 9 year old niece and my three week old niece. Should be fun, and I’ll get to try out the bed I’ll be sleeping on in the parents’ RV in June when we go up for my triathlon.

I might lose a toenail. I’m not sure yet, but the Little Piggy Who Stayed Home on my right foot got rather testy in the last 5 minutes of my 2 hour run today. Hasn’t turned black or anything, but it’s definitely not happy with me.

After the run I dragged Richard with me to City Lights for some much needed protein (mmm, tofu…). Was pleasant, both the meal and the company, and I enjoyed both immensely.

I supposedly have a closing date now: April 7th. So in not-quite-three weeks I’ll be signing lots of paperwork to send myself into lots of debt (but with the reward of a place to live). I’m looking forward to it (the place to live, not the debt). I will likely hire movers this time, but I think I’m also going to have a “packing party” to get stuff into boxes beforehand. So if you’ve evern wanted to see what bad taste I have/had in clothes, or what my sex toy collection looks like, I’ll welcome any assistance.

Other than that, the cold I had last week is pretty much gone, replaced by the lovely spector of DC allergies. Now I remember why I keep the sudafed around. As I mentioned above, the run went well. Hopefully I’ll be knuckling down a bit more on the training as I’m a little over 2 months out from the race (eeck!). Have to arrange for leave and all that fun stuff soon, too, but I think not until after I get moved.

If you had to have a day off this week, yesterday was the day to do it. It was absolutely glorious here in DC, high in the 80s, nice wind going, just gorgeous. I had the day off for my every 6 months cleaning (“You don’t floss enough, do you…”), which necessitated biking down on the mountain bike, then home again to switch bikes and go on a nice not-quite-2-hour ride on the tri bike. After a second shower, it was off to the grocery store with my bag lady cart to pick up food & sundries (TP!), then a nice, lazy afternoon resting from all the riding and walking.

This was the first time I’d gotten a chance to head out for any extended period of time on the tri bike since I bought it, and I was looking forward to the chance to sit down in the aero bars and see how that felt “in real life” (as opposed to sitting on the trainer). It was surprisingly comfortable, except for my neck. I’m going to have to get a different helmet, without the cute little visor thing on the front, because that had me keeping my head craned up at too strong an angle to see under it, which lead to some neck stiffness about half way through the ride. Oh, and I have to remember to get some fresh sun screen – I have a lovely farmer’s burn on my arms, with a nice sharp line across the biceps. The joys of being paler than pale.

Having just gone to the grocery store I was able to make a lovely, simple dinner of sauteed broccoli over pasta (heat olive oil, throw in cut up broccoli, cook for a while until the broccoli “reduces” down, then throw in chopped garlic, maybe some red pepper flakes, and pine nuts, saute a few minutes, throw in 1/4 cup or less of water, cover, cook 5 minutes or so to steam the broccoli, serve over pasta; add oil as necessary while cooking to ensure you have enough to coat the broccoli and the pasta), some salad and toast. Yum. That was lunch today, too.

This morning, though, the legs were really telling me I had run more than I have been used to (damned time out), and that biking in real life is not the same as the trainer; my quads were especially unhappy with me when I awoke this morning. Thankfully after a nice, slow recovery run this afternoon they’ve calmed down considerably.

Unfortunately as this week goes on, it’s getting colder and colder, reminding us that it’s still winter, officially. Hopefully it won’t be too nasty this weekend (doesn’t look it) so I can get outside and work out more. Winter’s hold is slowly giving way, and it can’t leave soon enough.