Huh

Exhilarating title. I know. But that's pretty much what my mind feels like right now.

It is now Monday morning, after recovery weekend. And this is also the beginning of taper for Musselman. Historically, I don't like taper. I get cranky. I consistently feel like I'm going to throw up. And in short, I'm a joy to be around. It's not because the workouts are getting shorter, though after such a significant build cycle (which for me has lasted about a month) once could, potentially blame it on that. It's because taper means the race is getting closer. A lot closer.

Less than 3 weeks closer.

So the nervous energy that I normally carry around, where I can't sit still for more than 40 minutes at a time, gets a lot worse. A LOT worse. This is the time of year that you might find me baking up a storm. Or crocheting an afghan. Or something to use up this nervous energy. I can't, and don't want, to sit still. Good for training. Bad for down time.

Prime example: this past weekend. It's recovery weekend, which means I should be able to spend an ample amount of time sitting on my couch doing absolutely nothing. Which don't get me wrong, I did. But I also did a lot more than that. I ran (a mere 5 miles). I went to lunch with my college roommate who made her annual trek to visit her sister in VA. I went to a jazz concert. I read a book. Yes, an entire book. I went for a bike ride. I did laundry. Took a couple of naps. And all before 1pm on Sunday. So I then decided I should probably make some food for the week, and I think by the looks of my refrigerator I should be able to not cook until at least Tuesday. Oh...and I gave myself a manicure, which looks pretty good, if I do say so myself. And then started watching "It Happened One Night." But couldn't completely finish it because I nearly passed out. So we'll add that to the list of stuff I need to do today.

As mentioned in previous posts, I've had a lot of my mind lately. I promise though, this will be far less of a rant than before. And I'm going to really try to keep it positive this time.

1) I realized this morning that for the second year in a row, my dad will be driving to DC on his birthday. To, once again, take care of me. Last year it was surgery. This year, half-Ironman. Both painful to get through, but you rarely get the good drugs with a triathlon. I'll probably sleep about an equal amount of time after both. And, of course, my mother is going to be equally as nervous before and during both. (Something for those of your cheering at Musselman are going to have so much fun experiencing)

2) I can't decide between growing my hair out (long enough to pull up) or keep it uber short. Thoughts?

3) I am not one to really take the time to pamper myself. Though with the damage that I am currently doing to my body, I have been thinking lately that this might not be a bad idea. So I have figured out a way to do this, and not take any more time than I normally spend doing...stuff...to my body. I bought nice soap, shampoo, conditioner, shave cream and lotion. Just replacing the normal stuff that I use has made a huge difference. Seems weird, but it's true. I've noticed that long after I get out of the shower, I catch a hint of mint (mmm) and it makes me smile. Or how soft my legs feel against my cycling shorts. Amazing.

4) I read something earlier today that spoke of how in today's society we rarely take the time to do...well...anything. In our fast food, facebook, email communication, work-aholic lifestyle...we don't take time like they used to back in the day (and I'm talking about like when my grandparents were courting time). We rarely sit down to dinner. Myself, I don't even own a real table. Ok, so I technically have 2, but neither of them currently live in my apartment with me. We don't write letters. We email. Don't get me wrong, I love facebook, because without it I wouldn't be able to keep in touch with a lot of people, including half of my family. But this also means that much of our communication has been abbreviated to 1 or 2 sentences, (or 1 or 2 words) as opposed to taking the time to sit down and write a letter. Maybe it's just the stress of training and busy season at work, but I miss being able to take the time to do stuff like this. And this is not the first time I've had this thought, but every once in a while I like to think that one day I'll be able to relax a little and take more time to do some of this stuff.