Fire Drill - August 11

It was a typical Monday, work was non-stop, I came home exhausted. Took the dog for a walk, went to the gym to lift. Came home around the same time as my hubby. We chatted briefly and discussed dinner. It was decided that he would help out and cook a frozen pizza while I went for a three mile run. Easy enough one would think.
The very end of my three mile run consists of a 10th of a mile sprint, and then a 10th of a mile cool down. I use the streets to mark my distances. I start sprinting when I turn onto a road that runs perpendicular to the road that abuts my house. I push until I cross the intersection, then I walk down my road.
As I approached my sprint road, I saw a fire truck pulling out. I giggled to myself. It would be a suitable ending to a not-so-fantastic day if Joe had burned down the house in my absence. As I came to the end of my sprint, I got a glimpse of another fire truck. This one was parked in front of my neighbors house. It wasn’t funny anymore. I forgot about my cool down walk and ran an even fast tenth then the last. Neighbors were parading down the small street in droves. Trying to get a look at the situation I suppose. You can always count on people to be nosey. I didn’t notice their faces because I was too focused on the house. I spotted two firemen coming out of the back door of the house. No on seemed alarmed which was calming, but I was concerned that perhaps they put the fire out a while ago, and they were assessing the damage. After all, I had been gone for a while, and I wasn’t sure when Joe started cooking the pizza. As I took my final few bounds toward the house Joe walked out with the dog. Two questions settled, they were both OK. No visible injuries. I was hesitant to ask what had happened for fear that my beautiful kitchen, the one we searched 30 houses to find, was destroyed. God was looking out for us that day. There was no damage to the kitchen. Damage to Joe’s ego was a separate issue.
Apparently as he heated the pizza, flames broke out in the oven. He smelled the smoke and checked out the situation. Instinctively he turned off the oven. Once he saw that he couldn’t put the fire out he grabbed the phone and the dog and headed outside. It’s a gas stove and you can’t be too careful. By the time the firetrucks arrived, the fire had gone out.
So much for a typical Monday.

The Twelve Hour Difference

So I’m a day behind in capturing the essence of my new daily routine. It’s true, this is my third time this summer trying to make this change. To me there isn’t a more drastic schedule change. I’ve been working out between 6pm and 8pm four times a week for the past two years. Now going into my third year I’m decided that it’s time. It’s time to get my ass out of bed and get to the gym by 6 a.m. This 12 hour difference is a radical change for me. I hate waking up before the sun. Why should I have to get up before the daily phenomenon of sunrise? The sun goes to bed earlier then I do, so it would make sense that I wake up later then it does. The previous two tries lasted two non-consecutive days. And at the end of each week, I said this isn’t for me. Now I’m faced with a new situation and changing my schedule is no longer an option. My husband and I are getting a puppy. She comes home in three weeks, and I’m responsible for her evening care. That means that if I want to stay fit, I’m going to have to work out in the morning. Since it’s go time, I have a bit more motivation. I have three weeks to get into my own routine before this puppy comes into our lives. We already have one dog, and he’s happy to get walked regardless of what time it is. So I started with getting up 20 minutes early to give him a walk. Then this Sunday the planets aligned and I was able to get into bed at 10p.m. Seven hours later I had no excuses. It was off to the gym for me. At 5:15 a.m. I walked to my car in the darkness. Every step was filled with doubt. “I’m never gonna pull this off.” “It’ll last a day, maybe a week.” I struggled with every stride on the cross trainer. When it was time to lift, my muscles were jelly. I pushed through it. After 30 minutes on the cross trainer, and 40 minutes on my abs and arms, it was time to go home. When I got there Dakota was waiting at the door. His eyes told me that he was longing for a walk. He wanted to get out there and enjoy the sun, and the cool morning breeze. How could I say no to a face like that? Off we went on our 15 minute stroll through the neighborhood. It was nice to see other neighbors doing the same. If others could do it, why should it be so hard for me. After all, I am 10 to 20 years younger then most of the homeowners in my neighborhood. Once we completed our walk it was time to get ready for work. This time is usually filled with anxiety about my day, frustration that I can’t find a cute enough outfit, yawns of exhaustion and utter dread that after work my day is still not over because I have to hit the gym. Not this morning. I wasn’t panicked about the day. I had this sense of confidence that I could handle anything. I laid out clothing the night before, just in case I didn’t get from the gym in time. I looked adorable in it. I felt as if I had chugged a red bull because I was filled with energy. I knew I would get home by 6 p.m. and still have the entire evening to enjoy.
This euphoria lasted the entire day. It was as if there were no hurdles to leap over, the road ahead was flat and calling for me to run all over it.
Now I am into day 2. Instead of hitting up the gym, I decided to hit the pavement. I refuse to run in the dark for three reasons. 1) It scares me that someone could be right near me and I wouldn’t know it. 2) Drivers can’t see you, and that’s just asking for trouble. And 3) I have no desire to run in to a wandering coyote, or mama dear and her fawns. So I waited till the sun woke up. There was just enough daylight when I started my warm up. Shadows followed me for the first 10 minutes, and then the rays sprawled out across the tree tops and just fell on me. I am not very poetic, but I wish I could convey how beautiful this morning was. I may not have been running at my normal pace, but I felt like it was the best work out I had in a long time.


Songs to get your day started:
House of Jealous Lovers by The Rapture
Wake the Sun: The Matches
Nighttiming: Cold War Kids