No Excuses.

For the past week, a sinus infection has been kicking my butt. I feel awful, just dreadful. Death warmed over.

No seriously. I look like Richard Hammond.

It's pretty scary.

But yet, I soldier on. I slacked off this weekend because I was feeling sick and just plain didn't have time to run. I know, terrible. Today though, I was determined not to slacking off in my training. Come hell or high water, I was going to run. It may not be raining today but it feels like trying to suck air from water out there right now. I definitely felt that right at half way after coming up over the tallest hill on my route. And waiting till three in the afternoon was no help. The 24 hours of rain yesterday did nothing to cool things down. It didn't feel oppressive or midsummer, but I passed a woman, at the beginning of my cool down, she looked at me with such horror. Upon getting back to the apartment I saw why. My face was so flushed it looked painted red. I had tied a shoe too tight which had me crying for my Five Fingers for the first half, finally adjusted it but too late to prevent the blister on my arch. Which means I can guarantee we will be doing nothing but foot lock in aerial tonight and I will be bleeding by the end. Snot was pouring out of my nose by the end and once my breathing was controlled I felt very swimming, there was a lot of pressure in my head as the infection made it's last stand and pressed against everything. All I want to do is go lay down and play Portal until I fall asleep but I still have an hour and a half of climbing, spinning, dropping, and hanging from 15ft in the air. At this point I'm sure you're all asking the same question.

Why the hell would you do this to yourself?

Because I love it. Because it will get me to my goal. Because it's the only way I get to take an hour and not do anything for anyone else, be selfish and plug into my head phones and shut off the rest of the world and not feel one bit guilty for not doing something tangibly productive. Because as long as brave men and women are returning home from terrible lands, with limbs they've left behind, and get up and go for a run with their new limbs of plastic and aluminum, and still pass people, then I've got no excuse.

Because I can't let the excuses win. And don't you dare let them win either. When you don't think you have time for your workout, take an inventory of the your day. Find ways to shave some time to squeeze it it. There's almost always, guaranteed, 30 minutes of wasted time. The internet does a good job of that. I have a bad problem with getting on my computer to check one quick thing and then next thing I know I've lost 3 hours of my life reading articles about working out, instead of actually working out. How many of us watch a show simply because it's on between two good shows? That's the perfect time to throw in a quick cardio burst. Don't be afraid to power walk in your pjs. When you walk your dog, actually walk! But most importantly, don't let excuses get in your way. I have let myself down too many times because I didn't go for a run, broke my workout routine, and never progressed. I always had a reason, I was tired or not feeling 100% or I ran out of time (before my show came on) but really what it all comes down to is that I was just letting lazy win. So next time ask yourself, do I really need to see another miserable 30 minutes of "Mad Love" or should I go for a walk?

Lake Eola Run

It took me three laps of Lake Eola to realize there was no free parking. Shows me better than to trust the Internet. After stopping in a grocery store, paying three dollars for a one dollar drink to obtain change, and one more lap of the park before I found a spot by this time I was already ten minutes late for the meet up time that I had set. And of course I was the last to arrive. I spotted the group right away. There was Jorge, a friend from work who insists his name is pronounced "George" Chris, who I had met through my boyfriend; and Brian, who I knew through my father and who had brought Lytle, a friend from work. Somehow these four people, who had never met, had never even spoken online, whose only connection to each other was me, managed to figure out they were all waiting around on that very same person.

"Finally!" Jorge exclaimed as I ran up to them. Brian joined in "Yeah, way to be late to your own party!"

"Hey there's a reason I have parties at my house. Can't be late to your own living room." I bent over to tie my shoes and quickly stretch out as we made our game plan. One lap all together around the path tracing just outside the boundaries of the park. The sun hung just high enough in the sky to keep us warm, and the wind was just swift enough to keep us cool. There was not a cloud in the sky but the ample trees and the tall buildings that surround Lake Eola park were enough to give plenty of shade throughout the course. This azure gem at the center of Orlando's buzzing downtown was the absolute perfect setting for the first run of the Orlando Run and Glug Club.

Okay maybe club is a little too serious of a word but Alcoholic Athletes Facebook Group just doesn't have the same ring to it. But that's what we are. As it stands right now the club consists of my friends and a few of their friends, we get together once a week, run, and cool down at the nearest bar. No we're not hashers, not that there's anything wrong with that...

As tradition would have it, my iPod crashed the moment we started running. What is the point of running if you don't have the data to prove you have done it? But there was no turning back now. The narrow sidewalk and varying paces quickly formed the pack. The experienced runners, Lytle and Brian, took the front and Chris and Jorge, the beginners, brought up the rear. I ended up falling to the middle and somehow managed to hold a conversation between the front and the back. We stuck together and held a solid pace for the first lap. The park was alive with activities all around; people everywhere, though it never felt crowded. The population at the lake was incredibly diverse, made up of families, young couples, other runners, and even a large group of hipsters feeding the homeless. I'm not sure if one man had been homeless or a hipster but he felt the need to cheer us on as we ran past. At one point a young college student, of Asian descent, claimed a spot on the scenic pier to start playing bagpipes. I'm not sure why he had a tip case set out but our pace time always improved when we ran past.

As we came around to the last turn before the Amphitheater, Brian suggested a quick interval to finish out the lap. Feeling good still, we were all in. As we rounded the corner, Brian, Lytle,and Jorge all quickened their stride. Chris, however, double his pace and soon took the lead. Having held back the whole lap, I couldn't resist the urge to showboat. I broke out into a burst sprint, quickly over taking the whole group to come up even with the Chris.

"Oh so you want to go real fast, huh?"

"Uuuugghh no!" he moaned as I comfortably doubled the distance between us.

He later explained that, in his infinite genius, he planned to get far enough ahead of us that when it was time to slow down again he'd have plenty of time to recover as we caught up. This, of course, did nothing but leave him to strain for the second lap. Despite our pace evening out and the group reformed by the time it was time to start the second lap. We kept together for a while but fatigue was starting to show in the novices. Brian and Lytle went on at their pace and I proceeded to quite literally run circles around the boys. The rest of the run we kept up a mildly strenuous pace with slight intervals. It's amazing how much further you can go when you break up a distance into small chunks. 3 miles is a ridiculous amount to run, but five minutes at a hard pace and then five to catch your breath then repeat and you suddenly forget how many times you passed that game of hackey sack. It helped that we were never passed by the speed twins. Okay so maybe a 5-6min km isn't break neck but it can be a morale killer when you're first starting.

Suddenly we where coming up on the last leg of the last lap. Once last rest interval for the boys before putting it all out to cross the finish line. I decided to get in a little extra mileage by cutting back and on to the inner path that winded around the lake then meeting back with them at the last corner. I was quite surprised to see they were ahead of me when I merged back to the sidewalk. I wasn't far behind, coming up on them quick and we regrouped right as we rounded the corner. "Show your stuff, boys!" I shouted over my shoulder as I sprinted past them. The amphitheater was coming up quick and I still had some left in me. Brian and Lytle waved as I darted past; I was determined to make it to the end of the street and surely I was half way. That wall hit about half way past half way, however, and I felt all the energy drop out of my legs. My pace slowed and it felt like a struggle to not just turn around right there. Oh I'll be damned if I'm going to give up in front of all this traffic. I found one last pocket of energy and made it to the end, slapped the light pole as I turned around and trudged back exhausted.

I reached the group and did the best I could to pretend that that was totally what I meant to do. A quick headciunt to check we were all alive and then we made our way to the Relax Grill, an open air bar and grill tucked right along the shore. I'll tell you a pitcher of Stella never tasted so good. As we chatted, Jorge checked the data from his nifty GPS app and informed us that we did three point nine miles! These beginners doubted they'd be able to do much more than one mile and here we sit, alive and well, with almost four miles on our shoes! Just goes to show, no excuses just go.

Posting for Posting's Sake

 While I sit here and wait for iTunes to finish dumping 130gbs of music onto my iPod, I figure I should do something productive rather than shoveling homemade kettle corn into my mouth. Kettle corn that I had made for my upcoming road trip. Nothing special, just heading down to Boyton Beach tonight for a friend's birthday party and maybe a burlesque show. I know I promised a recap on the Run For The Children race at Universal and I swear it's in the works, but for now here's a brief summary of all the things I've been doing that's been keeping me from writing said review.

 Well first off, I've started learning aerial. Yes the crazy, 30 feet up in the air hanging by your foot from a silk, aerials. And I'm in love with it! It's a hell of a work out and by the end of an hour and a half class I can be as bruised and sore as I was after roller derby practice. To some of you that may not sound like such a good time but it's worth it. When you wrap your self up to what an impossible height (okay maybe 15 feet), just to let go and free fall to the ground to stop just above the oh so reassuring 1" thick mat and realize you could do it a million times more, you feel a mixture of adrenaline and accomplishment that I can't even begin to compare to anything I've done before.  When I'm twisted up, swinging around, dangling upside down, I feel the glee I had as an 8 year old playing on the monkey bars. The childlike energy that pours into me I'm sure exhausts the other students as they work to master the trick I just did on the first attempt. I really do turn into a kid for an hour and half, which isn't saying much since I am operating at the maturity level of 12 year old boy at any given point. Though, my first time attempting a major drop, I was in such disbelief that it was possible for me to do. Essentially I had wrapped the silks around my thighs in a way that looked like a rock climbing harness, sitting in a straddle and doing my best to ignore the mega wedgie this position created. Then my instructor tells me to bring my body in front of the silks, still holding on above my head. That's easy peasy, though I scared the shit out of him when I let go of the ropes to do this, apparently you're only supposed to go one hand at a time. After he over comes the shock, he tells me to let go and spread my arms like a bird as I fall forward.

"Uuuuuuuuuummmm, what?"

"Trust me, just put your arms out and you'll be fine," he assures me. "Okay, if you say so," and with that I let go. Now I've done plenty of falls... in a harness... remaining upright the entire way... and with trained medical professionals usually nearby. Never have I done a fall that would, as far as I could tell, unravel my harness. Time slows in moment of hesitation, I take in a deep breath, then I feel my hands let go of the silk. At this point Time realizes the rest of the world has gone on without him and ran to catch up. A scream more appropriate for a cat who's just had it's tail stepped on escapes from my lungs and suddenly I'm at the bottom of the rope, still hanging in the "harness". Sure enough my arms were straight out, aching from the sudden impact of the taunt silks, but I was alive and otherwise unscatched! When that realization I suddenly became an 8 year old again. I jumped out of the silks and began to bounce around, asking to try it again before I let somebody else have a turn. The other girls were looking at the silks as if they were made of mutant cobras. So I jumped back into them and wrapped myself up again. As I settled at the top I felt the scream building in my lungs and Hesitation holding me by the shoulder. Hell no, I've done it once, now I can do this and no one can take that away from me. I closed my eyes so the scream wouldn't know when to come out and let go while Hesitation looked the other way. No scream or surprise at the bottom, just adrenaline and accomplishment. I spent the rest of the class feeling like I was chomping at the bit, ready to do it again, to try the next big and bold trick. It's my latest drug of choice.

But I haven't forgotten running! Oh no, I just ran my second longest distance yet, thanks to the Nike coached runs. If you haven't tried these things yet and you're not the best self motivator, do yourself the favour and get a couple of albums. They're perfectly done. I will have a more in depth review of the few I have after I've tried them a couple of times. I have been using the Kara Goucher's Endurance Boost on and off for a while now and I love it. The coached runs, if you haven't checked them out yet, are essentially a playlist with the BPM set to the pace levels of what you're trying to accomplished. They're all interval training based and the coaches popping in with motivational feedback are very encouraging. And so far I love the music that's picked for these workouts. Quite a few popular artists, as well as some lesser knowns. I'm just the music might be out of reach for some, they do feel a bit geared to the hip and indie, but they don't get played out. What's really interesting is how you feel when you hear that song come on the radio, or at work, or just randomly through your iPod. This Pavlovian desire to just start running or do something awesome kicks into your head. It gets you motivated and thinking "Okay, when's my next run?" Nike also has finally updated their Training Club application. I first began using the iPhone version of the app when it was the "Women's Fit Club" and it was glitchy as all hell. Since then they've ditched the original application and reworked it so that instead of being a list of work outs that crash every time you try to use it, you get several coached and timed workouts. You can even set your own music, playing directly from your own library, and earn rewards like celebrity athletes' workouts and specialized recipes. I've been using the app, in conjunction with the aerial training, to focus on my core and in three week's I'm already seeing the ab muscles I lost when I stopped doing P90x.

So as you can see, all and all I've been quite busy. And yes I have been writing here and there to finish my race review. Need to have it out before the next race! I've also been working on a super secret podcast which you will be hearing more about in the next few weeks. Stay tuned!

Gonzo Sports Journalist

Tomorrow is the first run of the year; the Dick Bachelor Run for Children 5k hosted by Universal Orlando. It will be bittersweet to be in this race since I had orignially planned to run in the Warrior Dash. Luck would have it that when I finally got around to signing up, I had missed the deadline by 3 hours. I had been looking forward to the 5k obstacle course for two months but now I'm kind of happy to not be trudging through mud in 60 degree weather.

All in all it should work out to be a fun race. I'm especially excited to not have to wake up at 4 in the morning to get to the race site on time, seeing as how I live about 2 miles from the park. Universal Studios is also sort of a second home to me; since I moved to Orlando, much of my life has been linked to the Studios in one way or another. From college outings, to my time as a pedicabber and my induction to the cast of real monsters that make up Halloween Horror Nights, Universal Studios Orlando has become my alma mater. I have so many friends I consider my family, I even met my boyfriend through my employment there.

So to be let loose with a couple hundred other people to run through both parks and the City Walk area should be quite the experience. Will my internal map of the area help me to run faster through the narrow runs and changing surface area? Will this be the first race where I successfully time my sprint to the finish to maximize my time?

Will they have the Minions and the Penguins of Madagascar characters out to cheer us on?

No matter what the results are, this should be a fun race and a great way to bring in the new year. I plan to run at least one race each month with a goal of faster times, increased distances, and more frequent writing about it!

Baby, it's cold outside

To deal with record breaking cold, inexperienced Floridians are driving up the workload on their electric heaters. On the news, they were explaining that not only is this expensive but it is causing rolling brown outs. They then cut to an exterior shot of a house lit up with enough Christmas lights to land a 747. Idiots.

So here's an idea. Until this cold snap moves on, let's cut down on the nonessentials. I'm pretty sure you can live without your giant inflatable dancing Santa if it means the family down the street doesn't all have to huddle together for warmth. I will not be plugging in my tree, lighted garland, or even the digital picture frame. I live on the 3rd floor of my building so I can take advantage of heat rising from the apartments below. The average temp in the house is 70, but my thermostat is set to 65. Yeah I can't wander around in the nude but at least I know our heater won't burn out and leave us wearing motorcycle leathers to bed. The sun never really hits our side of the building so I'm keeping my heavy drapes closed to block out cold. Normally we don't latch the door to our patio so the cats can open the door to go in and out. Unfortunately the wind has been doing the same so now the door is closed. Though it is pretty funny to watch them run headlong right into the door and stumble away dazed and confused.

These are merely examples. Just hope it inspires you to take a moment and look around to decide what doesn't need to be plugged in. I know it's less cheery and that dark tree doesn't quite herald in the Christmas cheer but every little bit helps. Give back to the power grid and we can all sleep a little snugger. Of course you can flip on the lights when your holiday revelers arrive, but you're not having a party every night.

At least I hope not...

And if you are, where's my invite?

The Shavening

So who are my Twitter fans? If you have been anywhere near my twitter posts, you've noticed my countdown. In case you missed what I've been counting down to, well to this weekend. At the stroke of Midnight this Saturday, I will be shaving my head.

That's right, I will be bald. 

And I am excited. And I am terrified. I can't wait. I can't wait to get it over with. I am anxious in every sense of the term. I can't wait to see what I'll look like, and I can't wait to see what it will look like when it grows back in. This will be the first time in my life I've not had hair on my head. I'm serious; ask my mother, I was born with a full head of hair.

A lot of people have asked me why, and when I respond with “why not” they seem less than satisfied. To be honest, I’ve always been curious to see what’s lying underneath this big red mop. For some reason, that isn’t good enough; but now when I explain that I am shaving for my role in this year’s Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Orlando, people seem to be more accepting. I don’t know why people find the idea that the decision is out of my hands so comforting, I wonder if it is because they would be too scared to do it themselves. Whatever the reason, my reasons for doing so always seem to end up becoming more and more involved. What was originally just an impulsive decision made from a vague curiosity has now become a deep, redefinition of my identity and understanding of my feminine self.

Hair is important to women. We pamper it, we talk to it, we have entire rituals and businesses devoted to it. “I can’t go out, I’m washing my hair.” A woman’s hair speaks in volumes about her; a short cut says sporty and defiant, long is glamorous and flirty, simple cuts say practical and forward thinking, even a simple wash and wear style says busy and low maintenance. Women develop relationships with their hair. I know I’ve had days where I felt my hair was rebelling and every time I threaten to cut it, it begins to cooperate. How the hair looks can determine the makeup and wardrobe choices of the day. The affect the weather is going to have on her hair can change all of a woman’s plans for the day. Throughout myth and lore, a woman’s hair often housed her magical powers or abilities. Women used to give her most prized possession, a lock of her hair, to her beau. There are charities specifically devoted to getting lush, realistic wigs to women undergoing medical traumas that result in hair loss. And to take away this icon is somehow disfiguring.  Hair loss in men is something socially accepted, no one gives a bald man a second look, but a bald woman is a stigma. “There must be something wrong,” “She must be a lesbian,” “She must have mental issues.”

To be mentally fit, secure in my heterosexual identity and excessively healthy, I can’t help but wonder how people will react to me. I know people that know me will not be shocked because I am doing it; they just seem shocked that a woman is doing it. Fascinating how the people who know me separate my core personality from my status as a woman. And I know people who don’t know me will go through those assumptions (illness, be it physical or mental). What I will be curious to find out is how differently people will treat me on a subconscious level. I know I get away with a lot because I’m a cute red-head and I know I use this to my advantage. What I don’t know is how much this going to change. I may not be a “red head” but will I still be cute? Will it matter? Let’s be honest, we’re all more likely to respond better to the attractive, no matter what gender they are. It’s evolutionary physiology (or some other combination of big words meaning it’s in our nature). Will people still be so forgiving when I screw up, drop the ball, or generally flake? Do people respond to my beaming personality or flirty smile? I’ve always had an amazing ability to get away with a lot of crazy shit, will people be so amused when it’s the Sinead O’Conner wanna-be that’s doing it? With all this focus on looks, I am panic stricken at the idea of no longer having my hair to hide behind. My thick copper locks conceal my uneven ears, my bumpy forehead, and my mismatched eyebrows. What if on top of that I have a funny shaped head, or a dent? What if I have a huge, vaguely phallic birthmark??? It’s one thing to no longer be a red-head, I’ve experienced that through my various color phases, but if I’m not cute, what am I? Is confidence really that beautiful, as we are lead to believe in Cosmo and on Tyra, or are I confident BECAUSE I am beautiful? I feel confident that I can talk my way out of just about anything, but I’m pretty sure that smile and flick of the hair must help.

But scariest of all, what if nobody notices?

But for all this terror and fret, I am intrigued by what the next two months will hold. I will have to confront this new girl in the mirror and come to a new understanding of my self image. I will have to define what makes me feminine, find where glamorous truly lies. This experiment has so much potential to strip me of the insecurities that get swept up in sweeping bangs. I will have to learn to get passed the wall of obsessive reflection; a term I just made up, meaning that sensation of “They’re all going to notice” when in fact, everybody is too busy wondering the same thing to notice what you’re hoping they won’t notice. So stick with me for the next two months, if anything just for the morale support. I’ll be reporting on the progress of the experiment, all my little freak outs, and any startling revelations I come across! Plus pictures of my bald glory and updates from behind the scenes of one of the country’s best haunted events!

Appetizer

Sad day my friends. I was going to do a second month review of my P90X
progress, instead I will be postponing my workouts for at least two
weeks. On my recent adventure through California, I some how hurt a
tendon in my left leg. I tried to tough through it for the rest of the
trip and I had planned to add extra cardio to my work outs the week
after to make up for the lost P90X days. Unfortunately this only
exasterbated the problem and with a week of AV work I must be able
bodied for, I do not want to risk hurting myself worse. The only way
it's going to get better will be to keep off my feet in my free time.

Sadface.

I do plan to swim and do what exercises I can (soooo Ab Ripper X and
upper body) to at least keep up and not fall too far off track. But to
push through the pain would break a workout commandment, and possibly
me.

Oh but hey that means more time to blog about the trip!

What a whirlwind! Soon as Andy (the Sancho to my Quixote… only
hotter) and I stepped off the plane, we were whisked away by his
father, a character we will simply know as Mr. H. Once free of the LA
traffic we sped away to Paso Roubles, at the breakneck speed of 60
mph. For an SUV with a trailer hauling 2 Honda Shadows, not too bad.
Also large trucks and trailers, etc, have a seperate speed limit in
California than that of regular cars. Either way, California is a long
state and that is a long drive after a long flight. Needless to say I
was tired and restless. When we arrived at the hotel, the last thing I
wanted to do want travel more. But we only had a week and we were
going to lose a lot to travel time and the boys wanted to ride.

Let me tell you, it was worth it! Be sure to check back soon for the
next installment of the trip, "Day 1: Moro Bay"!

Grace "Scully" Nolan
813.545.8444