While it may not matter a wit when I proclaim it to my adoring Beast… or to myself… in an effort to experience the weight of some real accountability, I will proclaim it here.
I am running today.
Before I lay my crazy, lazy-assed, pathetic head on the pillow this night, I will have gone running.
Mark. My. Words.
In keeping with my rant against Mother Nature I woke up this morning, looked out the window, squeezed my eyes shut real tight, raised my fist to the heavens and went, “%&*#$%^@#&%@#$%&!!!!!”
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaargh!”
I promised The Beast last night that we would get out for a run this morning and I didn’t care if it was snowing. She looked at me with a dreamy gaze of complete worship as though to say, “Oh, thank you, my dear mummy. I can’t wait and I know, this time, you’ll come through for me. Because I just love you so much and despite your previous many disappointments I can see the commitment in your eyes and I just love you so much and am sure that this time. This time. This time. You will be true to your word and we will go out for a run. Cuz you know I love our runs soooooo much. Almost as much as I love you, dear mummy.”
Of course, when I made this promise to my perfect, adorable, lovely doggie, I knew She wouldn’t actually bring snow and that my word was a pretty easy one to keep.
Well, while She did not deliver snow to this here Western Slope, she did bring cold, rain and wind.
Triathlon is two months and counting. Doggie staring at me with expectation from doggie bed. I can see it in her eyes. The eternal forgiveness. Like she knows I’m gonna pee on her hopes and dreams yet again. But she adores me anyway.
Ugh! This is one helluva grudge.
Somebody push me. Please.
I said last night I would head out early, before I settled in with Sally, to go for a run. It is -20!
Why is it so friggin’ cold. Irony: too cold for humans to do friggin’ anything but not cold enough to kill off all thost wretched, nasty little pine bark beetles that are sucking the life out of our Rocky Mountain forests and converting them to match sticks!
Oh, bugger… I’m off.
A gorgeous morning! It is clear and cooooold. -15C. But….. fresh snow! Not a lot, about an inch. Enough to make a picture postcard of the neighborhood. I got Sally up to the bus stop with a couple of minutes to spare and then Beast and I were off.
I ran today. 30 minutes. Good thing I was wearin’ me longjohns. My knees were frosty. Kicked the ball for Honey. She loves it…
For those keeping me honest, I did go out yesterday, in the afternoon. 45 minutes.
I’m not sure what day I am for the Challenge. This past week, with kids home for bad roads and the second half spent in Calgary, my daily physical activity was replaced by Tim Horton’s and lots of pizza. A little Noodle House thrown in to make me feel not as bad.
I manage to squeak in a short yoga practice yesterday and left the walk with HoneyBeast for last night. What a treat! Certainly it was cold(I think -15C), but the sky was downright startling! It was clear, maybe a few wisps of cloud and the stars were absolutely perfect! So many. The sky was filled, lit with star bits. We walked most of the way without flashlight. Absolutely perfect! The Bear was just joyful to be out.
Fantastic evening (kicked off with absolutely fantastic buffalo steak-rare) that we finished snugged in bed with popcorn and Shrek the Third. Despite wrapped in kiddie limbs, almost finished scarf for mother-in-law. Perfect Saturday night!
My sole motivation, today, I tell ya. After a summer and fall of falling down on the job in my dog walking, it’s great to get back in the game, but I forget how quickly this goggiegog has developed a routine. She knows morning means walk!
She would also not be denied her beloved ball-ie. In fact, we were heading out without it, but lo-and-behold there was a bright orange hockey ball laying in the snow. She almost left it be, but alas, she could not. Her freakish ball drive got the best of her, despite my commands to the contrary.
As it turns out, our new game of kickball is a total blast! I get a much better workout and she is beside herself with doggie joy!
40 minutes! Yes. I’m feeling better than yesterday, though I’ve been awake since 3:30 for some reason… A fantastic walk with the Beast… and the wretched ball-ie. Thankfully HoneyBear is equally happy to chase a ball kicked, as thrown. This is something of a relief as my gloves get ooey gooey with snow and slobber. Beast dog loves the snow and loves nothing more than to attack a ball in what are the beginnings of snowbanks. OK, not really snowbanks yet, but excess snow pushed to the side of our roads. Frequent face plants and a frozen beard of snow. Note to self: get pictures, dammit!
The day is clear. Crispy cold and it will be sunny. The mountains are incredible at this time of day. I will enjoy them as you never know when the valley will be socked in with clouds and it is days/weeks before we see them again.
Perhaps tomorrow. I got up this morning feeling sorta funky… maybe a touch of the UncleRichie-itis that perhaps was left clinging to the walls or infused in the upholstery(Uncle Richie really sick here over American T’giving- ugh!)… maybe the way too many chicken wings out with K and L, last night. Didn’t even have my coffee (with one of delectable chocolate chunk delites) this morning. Not feeling well…
I’m also off to Cranny this morning to sign away my half of house… more on that later…
Got Beasley Bean bundled and on to the bus. D, Director of our local chapter of Cheese Wagon, Incorporated, is greatest bus driver known to parentkind! She’s also back on her own schedule which gets us an extra ten minutes in the morning. Though for the record, I did appreciate her attempts to keep to the District schedule… 40 minutes of lovliness. The Honey Bear was a joy, today without beshatted ball-ie! She loves to run with her nose in the snow, emerging as Father Christmas!
This was a great morning. We woke up to about 3 inches of new snow and it keeps falling! Honey Bear and I walked Beasley up to the bus, just making it. I made the mistake of bringing The Bear’s ball. This beast has a ball drive that is unmatched in the doggie kingdom, I am sure! She is indefatiguable with the ballie. It is fun while we wait for the bus, to have her psychotically chasing ballie, but she is a just a downright nag during our walk. She has learned to toss it at my calves, as I walk, if I am trying to ignore her. If I just keep walking she runs up and nudges my hand several times before she runs back to recover beloved ballie. I can go about every four or five drops at my feet, before I give in and give ‘er a throw. I don’t know what’s worse, chasing deer mindlessly or driving me nutso with her psycho ball love.
Great walk. Beautiful first snow fall. Will try to leave without ballie manana… maybe if snow continues we will make it out on skis this week.
Keep on going, and the chances are that you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. I never heard of anyone ever stumbling on something sitting down. -Charles Kettering
Most of our obstacles would melt away if, instead of cowering before them, we should make up our minds to walk boldly through them. -Orison Swett Marden
… when a man is capable of being in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact and reason. - John Keats
Think of yourself as on the threshold of unparalleled success. whole, clear, glorious life lies before you. Achieve! Achieve! - Andrew Carnegie
As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives. -Henry David Thoreau
