Sweat Session

I ran 2.5 miles on a treadmill in 30 minutes. (This is a combination of running and 2 minutes warm up and 2 minutes cool down walking). Not too fast. Then, I switched to the eliptical trainer to do a 15 minute hill workout. At this point, my out of shape legs were getting tired. The old Sarah would have plowed trough another 30 -45 minutes of cardio, but since I am trying to be reasonable and gradual I decided it was time for abs. V-ups, crunches, side sit ups, bikers, pendulums - quite a little routine. It burns because it is working. :) I even had a healthy lunch - quinoa and sweet potatoes with brewers yeast....and a brownie (which I made from scratch so it can't be too bad, right?).

So I am starting this whole thing out as around at pushing a size 6 (on a good day, I am in a 4). There is a killer pair of jeans in the back of my closet that I need to be into by May for my own sanity). Wish me luck.

Running Again

For those of you that know me from way back when, I am a runner at heart. I was running competitively even before middle school...which might be hard for some to understand. I stopped competing in high school, but kept running. And kept running. And kept running. I had periods in my life where I would be on a running vacation, but I always went back. The weight gain was a little annoying! Sadly, many months have been lost to injury or illness: mono, four months of repeated strep and staph infections followed by tonsilectomy, stress fractures in both feet (yes it is important to buy good shoes often), broken ankle, torn peroneal, turf toe, and general soreness. I have had more injuries from running than from skiing (sounds odd it a way), but I still miss being a runner. Right now, I am a "recreational and gym bound" jogger, which is a little depressing. This year, I have agreed to run the Klondike Road Relay (Skagway to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory with a relay team) and am slowly being convinced to run the Mayor's Half Marathon this June with my girlfriends. I woke up this morning with a thought. "There are going to be people that are faster than me." That is when it happened. The old Sarah kicked in.....

My sister is going to read this and think "There she goes again". She is all too familiar with the inevitable overtraining that occurs and the resulting injuries that make me depressed. This time, I will be careful. I will take it slow. I will try to blog about the gradual training method as proof. The Mayor's Half is not until June. I have the time to be gradual and relaxed. Off to the gym...

Haikus.....

I have not been posting them regularly. This was the initial intent, but of course, I lack commitment. I did, however, actually write them almost daily for a time and am posting them for your enjoyment (or putting them out there for your ridicule). They are not all there and they are not in date order. They are in the order that they were in a stack of papers sitting next to my computer. You will have to cope if you find the infraction disturbing.

July 3, 2008
Theme: sky
Word: tutelage

I watch the heavens
Under nightly tutelage
When the stars come out.

July 14, 2008
Theme: paper, broadly
Word: cupidity

Fiat papyrus
Ambitious cupidity
Dreaming of fortune

July 8, 2008
Theme: marsupials
Word: troglodyte

Forgotten possum
Original troglodyte
Hiding in the dark

July 1, 2008
Theme: sky and related objects
Word: condign

Solstice sky so bright
No darkness to hide sorrow
Joy and sleeplessness

April 24, 2008
Theme: food
Word: winsome

Parched in the sun I sit
Sweet winsome watermelon
Brings me much relief

May 13, 2008
Theme: politics
Word: Umbrage

Walk the party line
Umbrages cast a shadow
Searching for the Truth

May 7, 2008
Theme: summer
Word: contrite

End of the summer
Contrite longing for the spring
To begin again

May 23, 2008
Theme: water
Word: aright

She laden aright
To face the Alaskan rain
Mustang lingerie

June 17, 2008
Theme: sports
Word: verdure

Verdure of the fresh pitch
Both sides taking formation
Clear the mind to win

Same theme, different day

Word: cogent

Cogent coach decrees
Victory comes through our sweat
Lost after red card

June 3, 2008
Theme: handwashing
Word: bagatelle

Ah! Sweet cleanliness
Bagatelle of washing bliss
The most gentle soap

May 9, 2008
Theme: summer
Word: sentient

Senses filled with sweet
Sentient aura of calm
Cut grass under foot

May 16, 2008
Theme: politics
Word: subfusc

Dark dreary office
Subfusc space for bribery's sake
To hide from our view

May 19, 2008
Theme: water
Word: obtrude

Please cleanse my dark soul
Oceanic obtrusion
Silence comes in waves

May 12, 2008
Theme: Politics
Word: parsimonious

Extravagant war
Parsimonious health care
What shall we become?

Here is one from my roommate Debbie - she can post the rest on her own blog, but this one was too funny not to share with the world:

May 14, 2008
Theme: Politics
Word: vandyke

Our hick president
Would look more respectable
Wearing a vandyke

You know what I love?

Reproductive Freedom. My womb is my own!

Wow. Ted Stevens.

Ted Stevens has been indicted and waits to stand trial, but yet, he still won the primaries. This is such an interesting place to live.

Things I don't like - Alaska Airlines (or Seattle Airlines)

I only say Seattle Airlines because that is their nickname. They obviously don't have us Alaskans in mind when they price out tickets. I have no choice other than to fly Alaska Airlines out of Juneau. They are the only ones that make the trip into Anchorage and Seattle and they know it. That is why they charge more per mile to make the JNU-SEA run than they charge to make the SEA - NYC run..or any other far away place. On any given day there are 5 flights directly to Seattle. That 2.5 hour (est.) flight is going to cost you between 500-600. Additionally, there are maybe 8 that get you to Seattle by taking stopping along the way or looping through Anchorage. Sounds like they have quite the business going? It makes me a little mad that to get to Oregon to see family I have to pay so much, that for a couple extra hundred I can keep going and wake up in Zurich. What the Hell?! So, lets see here. My sister is getting a condo in Hawaii for a week in January. She is from Anchorage so there are other airlines that she can use and get a better deal. Me? I would love to go, but for the $1200 that it would cost me to fly from Juneau, I would rather go to Europe. Dublin seems to be a good idea and might even cost me less. I could even throw in a trip into Austria for some skiing. Bah humbug!

Things I don't like - Bad Weather Reporting

Our weather report actually says that today, tomorrow and the next day call for sun. Odd. It was cloudy and rainy all day, which turned to extremely blustery and wet in the evening. It is now almost 11 and it sounds like a fall storm outside. It is almost 11 and it is windy and dreadful, but the weather report still says SUNNY for today. Maybe it will clear up in the next hour. My goodness. They really should not tease us Juneau-ites like that. Really, we have not see the sun in a month with all the rain and yet Google weather decides we need a good taunting?