Thank God It’s Rest Day

I realize that I am not exactly shattering world records with my workout routine, however I am following it religiously. Today (and tomorrow for that matter) is a rest day and I couldn’t be happier if for no other reason then it will finally give me the opportunity to catch up on all of the dirty laundry I’ve created by working out.

Read Along With Me
Today’s passage from Notes To Myself.

If I work toward an end, meantime I am confined to a process.

To all who have helped me — Thanks.

I Am Either Really Good At Sleeping Or Turning Off My Alarm Clock
Much like the Dunkin’ Donuts guy I (try to) wake up early in the morning in order to provide you with fresh material each morning. To facilitate this I have four, count’em four, alarms set…
1. Alarm clock buzzer at 5:00am
2. Alarm clock buzzer at 5:30am
3. Cell phone alarm at 5:45am
4. Cell phone music at 6:00am

(keep in mind that I am alone in bed in case my years of whining about this in the blog have yet to sink in with you)

Rarely do I need all four, and some days four are not enough. Normally I shut the 5:00am alarm off and go back to sleep. I start stirring in bed with the 5:30am alarm and get up. Today was strange because the first alarm I “heard” was the 5:30am alarm. I have no idea if I quickly awoke and turned off the 5:00am alarm or slept right through it. I am sure you can probably imagine just how disappointed I was when I realized that I wasn’t going to get my “extra” thirty minutes of sleep.

Running Against The Wind Should Count For Extra Mileage
Mother Nature threw another impediment into yesterday’s training effort — wind. Again I stared down the dreadmill and hoisted open the door to the brutal conditions. Running in a windbreaker that’s as air-tight as a Hefty garbage bag certainly helped yesterday.

I am proud to say that I actually covered 3.25 miles yesterday because it was too cold to stop a quarter mile away from the office and walk. Nearly three training weeks are in the books and I am doing smashingly. There has been little evidence of injury (knock wood because longer runs are imminent) and I have even started contemplating real weight lifting again (and at 42.5 years of age no less!).

The Paulie elevator has left the ground floor and is headed skyward. I’m starting to party like it’s 1999 again.

ITP Flickr Pic
Another archival shot.

I really like the composition I’ve used in this photo. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea (cola?) but it pleases me. The only thing that I wish I could have altered was the shadowing which occurs in the right third of the shot.

I Should Have Used My Gut
No, I am not talking about fat. Instead I’m talking about that feeling you get deep inside.

Last night at Team Trivia I had a gut feeling about the answer to the final question. The question asked for the name of the candy manufacturer who helped develop the Eskimo Pie. The initial guesses for our team where “Hershey” and “Mars,” and then I added “Russell Stover” and “Brach.” There was something about this being the final question of the game that urged me to push for “Russell Stover” over our eventual answer of “Hershey.” We would have been the only team to get the answer correctly and would have won, had I been more insistent.

Oh well, you win some, you lose some.

Unlike Last Weekend…
Remember how last weekend I listed all of these things that I had planned, most of which were thwarted by my decision to stay indoors due to inclement weather? Well, this weekend couldn’t be any more different had I tried.

Tonight I may go see Manchester Orchestra at The Loft.

Tomorrow I’ll be getting together with my buddy Gentri to go pick up my new bar refrigerator because the one that was left in the house when I bought it nearly nine years ago is now dead. My Super Bowl party is approaching quickly and I need to get ready for it.

For Sunday an early morning six-mile run is on the schedule. I will most likely make an quick departure from the Sunday Runners this week in an effort to get some shit done.

I will do some photography so that I have some new stuff to post next week.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood – pretty good, ready for the cold weather to go away, proud that I’ve completed nearly three weeks of training, but still pensive about my future but then again who does know what the future holds?
Current Music – Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Jack Penate — “Second, Minute or Hour” (it’s a catchy little tune)
Website Of The Day – I say “Michael Cera.” You say “Arrested Development?” I say “Nope.” You say “Superbad?” I say “Nope.” You say “What then?” I say Clark and Michael, the web series. And then I say “Enjoy!” (thanks to Bill for sending my this link)
Exercise (b)Log – running, 3.25 miles
Monthly Foot Mileage – 49.75 miles (so close!)
Monthly Wheel Mileage – 0 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work – My car (still too cold for me to wait outside for Marta to arrive)
Monthly Marta Rides – 6

January Goals
1) Run no fewer than 50 miles [almost there]
2) Ride Marta no fewer than sixteen times (eight round-trips) [not going to get there]
3) Read at least one book [done]

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]