rage against age

Forget annus horribilus, I am having monthous monstrous, and it is only the 9th. My back yard is an absolute quagmire; the lawn has been chewed to oblivion by a small excavator pushing earth back into the trenches dug to assist the removal of my fence (at huge cost).The weather is delaying the completion of the work and the property is not secure, mostly for the dogs.

Yesterday Penny failed to exude her charm on a random terrier and ended up with a small rip in her side for her trouble. This morning the small rip looked more like a gaping wound exuding a worrying smell so it was off to the vet. How can they charge so much for a stitch up? Now  she is a sad creature, disoriented with the bucket on her head, and wondering why a) I left her at that place when she made it clear she did not want to go in b) why I won’t take the bucket off her head.

Generally it’s been that sort of day – nothing really going right like fixing a tube on my mountain bike only for it to be flatter than the earth twenty minutes later. Actually I found out yesterday that you should set a treadmill to a 1.5% minumum gradient to reflect the curvature of the earth which is never flat; but my tube certainly was, and I had to start again.

Later in the day I wrestled with having a swim but just could not be bothered. However later I did decide to go for a run because I have noticed on my online fitness journal that there is a ticker for the number of days exercised in a row and I was up to 47 so how hard would it be to get to 100??  Therefore my notions of a day off went out the window at approximately 6.30pm.

I also hoped  the run would clear my mind of my anxieties and in my mind’s eye, as I ran, I wordled my worries away and it worked!

The relief was short lived as a new anxiety asserted itself. Half way through my run I found myself in the dark on a trail – the combination of poor eyesight, an uneven surface, a dodgy achilles and a penchant for falling over did not bode well for me but I persevered and made it home to devour the spare ribs, marinated in honey and citrus overlaid with plum and ginger sauce, put on before I left and enjoyed them with a beer. I forwent the vegies I was going to cook on my return and had fresh pineapple and yogurt instead. The absence of health ticks was replaced by extra taste applause.

“fat around my gut and not quick enough” is a phrase from a blog of a fellow janathoner. My response was as follows “commiserations – I share your dilemna but what the heck; enjoy life, enjoy exercising, and nuture all the relationships that are important. That’s what matters. It would be good to be faster though.” And that is where I am at. I would love to regain the free flowing form I had as a performer in my own movie (memory is notoriously unreliable) but at the same time I know it is the people in your life who should be foremost in terms of priority. This is ironic as I am hopelessly asocial but I am working on it.

Reality has struck and I have to set the alarm for the wee hours to complete student marking before tomorrow. I am pleased to have got in a swim this morning but it was at the cost of riding to work. How to fit it all in? I love cycling recreationally and feel righteous, well good at the least, about reducing my carbon footprint (I don’t trust the airlines when they try to charge you for this though; proabably because I don’t understand how that works in their case but I always imagine it just goes into their profit coffers). Anyway time ends up getting squeezed in the day which I hate and I have to take the car to get to where I have to be in time.

I guess that is something to work on.

Disorder tends to be a characteristic of my home despite my desire that it be otherwise. Today took it to new heights. I finished a double lesson going through features and conventions used in the documentary ‘Dark Days‘ by Marc Singer. It is an amazing documentary as it is an intimate portrait of the lives of several homeless personalities living in the tunnels underneath Penn St Station, New York. The documentary succeeds in making you laugh with the community, and experience the pathos of the social pressures that led so many to homelessness. The efforts of one to keep his “house” tidy communicates a pathos most of us are priviledged never to experience.

Anyway (you can tell that I really like this doco) I received a message that the company contracted to remove my asbestos impregnated fence had been bailed up by Penny, the seven month staffy cross.

Here she is, not a cute face,maybe not even a friendly face, in fact a bit of a sad face, but she’s full of life and knows the joy of just running to nowhere.

Once I arrived home I discovered that the crew and the excsavator had managed to get past her and an uneasy peace had been constructed after a couple of lunges at a calf muscle or two.

However when I went for a swim and then off to coaching I locked the dogs in the house fearful of what penny might chew up in my absence – she is still a puppy after all.

However the disorder proved not to be in the house but in the yard. What a mess, and they have only just  begun.

The day ended on  a good note however thanks to my new wok once again. I decided to have a “left overs” meal. This involved sauteeing red onion, celery, red capsicum, brocoli and chilli. I added a can of chopped tomato and herbs, hard boiled eggs and coconut cream.

Cheers to Shottesbrooke McLaren Vale Chardonnay 2009.

I never realised how much the fall of light can affect how you see the physical environment until you really look. Yesterday afternoon, walking a path I have followed regularly, I was struck by the play of light and shadow on the trees I usually never give a second glance to. All that was needed was a picnicing family to make it a perfect rustic scene.

This morning a fercocious lightning filled storm thundered into my sleep but I got up to run anyway and, like an anticlimax in a love affair, that was it – the last day in January and janathon sadly over. However I felt a celebration of some sort was in order.

A firm baramundi fillet marinated in chilli, lime and coconut cream, wrapped in foil and baked for 20 minutes, resulted in a dish worthy of any celebration. The white flesh broke up into succulent pieces swollen with flavour, and with a glass of dry white accompanying the dish, I said ‘well done you – janathon completed’.

It’s a beautiful day and plans have been falling into place awesomely. The return of the sun has brought with it a rise in temperatures and you would have to be mad (and many are) to exercise outdoors after 8.00am or before 4.00pm unless it’s in a pool. The drawback is that I dislike running in the dark and also I do not feel comfortable running on trails during the dark (but maybe I will try a headlamp) so I began my long run in the dark but had the pleasure of watching the dawn break before I finished.

Home again I had a quick breakfast and my first coffee for the day, leisurely savoured folowed by an schedules nap on the couch for 90 minutes or so. The run must have taken it out of me but it was a perfect thing to happen as I woke in time to prepare for the opening of the pool and got a 2k swim in.

After nearly three hours of exercise I felt justified in treating myself to a seafood laksa and now here I am. The rest of the day to enjoy with no nagging voice telling me to work out and the self satisfaction that I have put in a good day.

One day to go in janathon. I will miss it as it has helped me entrench a habit of daily exercise. Another challenge must be on the horizon.

A 5am start and a busy day, finishing with 3hrs coaching the late afternoon squads and I find myself with no workout done. The advice given to me by a top level triathlete who occasionally trains with me was go home have a cup of coffee then go. I did all of that and it worked. I got in my run including 10 sand dune sprints and felt gulit free to enjoy a glass of red on my return.

Three days to go.

Change is unsettling and uncomfortable. Change is currently being experienced by athletes in my swim squad as others leave to go to university, have changed work conditions, or choose to swim elsewhere. What follows is a subtle shifting in what is normal and some have to move into leadership roles they do not wish to embrace. It is an experience in growing up.

Lightning is irksome when you can’t get the kids in the pool because a storm strikes and hangs around with constant flashes and rumbles in the sky. In the end you have to call your losses and cancel the session. Annoying but there is always tomorrow.

On  a personal exercise level I had a good day; a run in the morning before work and a swim and ride in the afternoon. In this cross training phase of my preparation I am excited because I have been able to reduce my 100m swim cycle time by 20 seconds over the last four weeks.

It’s been a full day and I am exhausted, but pleasantly so.

My plans for seeing how I was going by participating in the Australia Day run came unstuck by me making a tactical decison to begin in the middle of the field. What I did not realise was that the shuffle forward would still be happening 1km into the run.

In the end I walked, ran and chatted. There is always another day.

The last two days have proved the challenge I expected with much internal debating with myself now the school year has begun. Fortunately I have won round one and two. Six  days to go? I think I can complete janathon, as tomorrow  is a public holiday, Australia Day, and I have encouraged my swim squad to participate in the Australia Day 4km Run/Walk, so I must be there. That leaves only two days until the weekend leaving only one day left in January. I can do it.

Yesterday I completed a brick (run/ride) before work although I feel well over getting soaked through from the incessant rain. At least it’s not cold so I really have nothing to complain about.

Today I had an early mark from school, and postponed a meeting, and so I fit in a swim and another ride. My worst fears didn’t really come close to happening but I did get a bit obsessive about it. So far, so good.  Yahooo!

Pics from Bikeradar.com The World is for Riding