On Nordic Walking

*Not Actually Chorus.

Yesterday afternoon, WH and I went to a Nordic walking workshop put on by some friends of ours who own shoe stores here in Prairie City. Nordic involves two lightweigh poles by which the walker acquires a more complete upper-body workout while walking, and additionally, by which the walker receives additional support for lower backs, knees, etc. You can read more about it here.

We are trying to decide whether we will purchase Nordic poles for our trek in California, or whether we are better to buy actual trekking poles, which are a little bit heavier, and are designed more for support and less for fitness. The trek we're doing in Sonoma Valley will not be overly arduous, but there will be some elevation changes, so we're leaning towards trekking poles for that reason. Plus, the more wine we drink while we're there, the more likely we are to need "support."

But the Nordic walking is definitely something that we're interested in continuing with! I highly recommend giving it a try!

In which Chorus Resigns Herself.

The Jogging Experiment is over.

Why?

Because I hate it.




When I made THE decision, about a lap and a half in on Monday at lunch, I was reminiscent of a recent conversation I had with my brother and his wife about the maturation process that involves recognizing the things that we aren't good at or can't do, because our obsession that we must be good at everything distracts us from enjoying the things that we ARE good at or that we CAN do. I find this process of recognizing and accepting my flaws to be immensely gratifying, and it doesn't mean that I try any less hard to be a good person and a well-rounded person, but it's a nice feeling to give onself a break now and again.

So I'm not a runner.
And I'm not much of a crafter.
I don't ski.
I can't watch scary or gross movies.
I can't eat mussels.
The inside of my car is almost always a little bit messy.
I can't say no to candy.
I don't wash my makeup off at the end of the day.
And there are many, many more...

And I'm ok with almost ALL OF IT!

How about you?

The Trouble with Jogging...

"The trouble with jogging is that the ice falls out of your glass." ~Martin Mull
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The running track at Colourful University is an interesting place around the lunch-hour. I see all sizes and types and motivations, and I try and imagine why they're all there.

There are runners. And walkers. And sprinters. And waddlers. People who run as though the action is a part of their genetic makeup, easily and gracefully. People who run as though they are doing so against insurmountable odds, and as though at any moment, they might keel over. Easy breathers. Panters. The young. The old. Students. Professors. Middle-aged men in their jeans and polo shirts, trying to walk away from fear of the triple-bypass their fathers and grandfathers had. People running away from scars that remind them of their own fragility. Women walking with friends they only see at the lunch hour, puffing out conversation between tired breathing. They'll go back to offices and eat their lunches during the first minutes of the afternoon workload.

One lone Athlete from the track and field team has chosen this time to work with his coach. His running is different than anybody else's... more like flying. Or dancing. He's the only one whose actions can be described as Beautiful. He watches the rest of us with mild interest, and I wonder if he's thinking back to the first time he ran any great distance and felt as though his lungs were going to burst.

I'm not sure I enjoy running. I don't like the feeling of being out of breath, of aching muscles (worse now than they were this morning), of creeping sweat. But I enjoy watching what's going on around me on the running track at Colourful University.

The view is one answer (of many) to the question of what life looks like.

Updates, Various

• I went running yesterday morning for the first time since about, oh, grade eight. I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't a little bit sore today, but I'm glad to finally be getting my butt in gear. I'm going again today, and Thursday - three times a week sounds about right to me. There are two fun-runs coming up that I'm thinking about trying: a 3km race in the middle of April (that comes with a buffet!) and a 5km race on June 1st. Yesterday, I ran 600m before I got too winded to continue, so I have some ways to go.
• WH and I will be doing this at the beginning of July. We never really took a proper honeymoon, so this will serve as both honeymoon and first anniversary celebration. In the week before we do the tour, we'll be in San Francisco, and today I bought our tickets for a Giants-Cubs game. (Pause while Chorus faints with excitement.) I'm going to save my pennies to buy a gigantic foam finger...
• WH and I have recently discovered Google Calendar. I tell ya, for the busy couple on the go, this is a GREAT way to keep track of each other's schedules. And it will sync with WH's outlook, so he only has to update in one place.
• Last night, a member of Chamber Choir who suffered some awful injuries in a recent car wreck - collapsed lung, cracked ribs, cracked pelvis - turned up at rehearsal. And stood. And sang. And grinned from ear to ear.