Of Moose And Men
The Best Laid Plans Of Both Often Go Astray

Didn’t run this morning, but did run this evening, same long loop I did on Sunday (since I’l really supposed to be doing Very Long Loops at this point in training). Will attempt an hour on the bike in the morning if it’s not too cold/nasty tomorrow morning. Otherwise, long swim instead.

Work was in one of those “everything is flowing as it should” rare moods this morning, knocked out two long time problems, then lunch arrived and all my mojo went out the window. Oh well, at least I killed two projects before it fizzled.

Trying to start finalizing plans for race nutrition and the like, pick up those last things I need to get (um, wetsuit?) and make sure I can stomach the food I want to have on the bike and run. Gotta plan this stuff out in order not to kill yourself in the race, so I’m trying to ensure I have a plan and that it’ll work.

Skipped out of the board meeting early tonight (yes, the cult co-op had a board meeting the day after a membership meeting) because I was too hungry, post-run. Dinner was good, some fake sausage, light salad, hummus. This was about an hour after the run, and I had already had a recovery drink and a protein shake before that. Food is good, and good fuel is better.

Took my first run in the new place this morning, my first run in about two weeks. I was a tad nervous – the reason I’d not been running was because of chronic calf strain so had taken the time off to let it heal up. I had originally planned to bike this morning, but it’s a tad cool out, I didn’t feel like bundling up for a bike ride, and with the on-and-off rain we’re getting here it was easier to just throw on running clothes and get going.

Ran down to the waterfront, along the marina, up to L’Enfant Promenade and across the Case Bridge (aka the 12th Street Bridge). Made it to the other side of the bridge and was over East Potomac Park, but turned around there (at 15 minutes in) and didn’t enter the park itself. The run was nice, my calf is feeling okay thus far, and I stretched it thoroughly after I got back. I’m keeping my fingers crossed, since I am supposed to do this little 1/2 ironman race in less than two months, and not being able to run would be a slight impediment to that goal.

This is my first day back at work after the move, so I get to see what the commute to work is like. I’m walking, even in the rain, so it’ll be interesting to see how long it takes, especially after I just ran most of the route I’ll take to work. I sense somehow that I’ll manage to bike up there more often than not, just because I’m too impatient to deal with the walking pace. But not this morning; this morning I walk.

The Little Piggy Who Stayed Home is a trifle sore, and I can tell the nail is a tad darker than usual, but oddly enough it was completely pain-free on my run this afternoon. The dress shoes are another story, but those are never large enough for my toes, even at 2E width (I wear 4E width in running shoes). Doesn’t help to have odd feet.

Am definitely addicted to Super Princess Peach now. It took a bit to figure out that the water wheels had to be cried upon to get them to move, and the windmill had to be cycloned to get it to move, but now that I’ve learned their tricks I was able to move up two levels tonight. Such fun.

Tried to swim tonight, but the Y, as usual, never updates their web site so they had a class in there when I wanted to go in, so I got some Thai food, then groceries, then home to goof off.

I’m excited about the move, but honestly, I just want it over and done with. I want the end result, but not the process (unlike, say, triathlon, where the process is more the point). And I’m worried about window treatments, of all the odd things. I don’t need any in the living room yet, but I will need some in the bedroom so I can sleep (which means I want it as dark as possible at night). And I have no clue what’s out there, or what I want. I only know that whatever faces the outside of the building has to be white, per the cult rules (so, a liner or sheers on the inside/outside?). Ugh.

Headed home this weekend to see my parents, my brother, his wife, my 9 year old niece and my three week old niece. Should be fun, and I’ll get to try out the bed I’ll be sleeping on in the parents’ RV in June when we go up for my triathlon.

I should update those things I’ve already done on the Uberlist, but I’ll save that for later.

Richard came back in the apartment yesterday morning to tell me the wonderful news that they were painting the bed bug boys’ apartment and that the boys were now gone. Hooray! Keep your fingers crossed that the next person/bunch is better than this previous group was.

I’m still vascillating on the whole buying real estate thing, though am leaning more heavily toward buying. The listings aren’t bad, and reading more on the subject makes me more hopeful. Chatted with my bank about some short-term investment options as well, and the rates don’t seem terribly useful for that at the moment. Of course, the flip side of that is that borrowing rates for mortgages aren’t too terrible, either.

Today was the last day of physical therapy left from the car accident last month. Loved the therapist, she was very helpful, and we (finally) went over more stretches for my IT bands that should help with that little problem. Overall she seemed pleased with the stretching I’m doing now after we went over it, which was good to see.

Otherwise I’m staying busy between training and gearing up for the new triathlete program (sign-ups begin next week!).

The knee’s fine. The little ligament that runs down the inside of it is still mildly sore to the touch (technically a ‘sprain’), but with no pain, I’m cleared to exercise. So I’ve done that (exercise), with two spinning workouts on my tri bike this weekend (yay for spinning DVDs to keep one focused).

The new triathlete program for the tri club is coming along well. First meeting is next weekend, got the space lined up, hopefully have the intro workouts set for them, and we’re just waiting to hear from a race director about the first race for the two groups (sprint and olympic). Let’s hope it all goes this smoothly.

My own training has been semi-spotty; I’ve not been on the schedule as much as I’d have liked, but am getting back to it. Been running with a coworker on the treadmills at work, and that’s been fun. Is nice to run with someone else, and we’ve gotten to chat about a lot of work stuff (real work and gossip), which is always good. I’m still not thrilled that they don’t have towel service at the work gym, but the convience of not having to travel further than a few floors down and a corridor or two over is outweighing that little detail. For now.

The resolutioners haven’t quite disapeared from the pool yet, but the weeks are ticking down.

Seeing CT tonight, either shopping or a movie, not sure which. Food somewhere in there, too, I’m sure. Now that the weather’s dropped I get to wear my new jacket out (hooray for coupons from ye old credit card company) and hopefully not freeze my butt off. Alas, the March weather we had this past week died in the last couple days, with winds buffeting the scaffolding stuck on the outside of our building and driving us nuts whipping the ropes/cables against the windows new and old.

Much goings on since the last post, and yet it feels like I don’t have a ton to report, either.

I did indeed wipe out my credit card debt, and the installments have started on the small loan I took out to pay them all off. I’m waiting until the statements cycle in the next week or two to make the final interest payments, and then that part of the debt is retired. Yes, it’s just a restructuring of the debt, but one that will reduce the time and overall cost considerably, so I’m pleased.

I also took out enough to purchase the tri bike I wanted to get. Two pictures, one from the official web site, one from my camera phone:

Am most pleased with the purchase thus far. I also picked up an indoor trainer the following day, a fluid trainer, so I can ride the beastie inside when I’m too lazy to take my ass outdoors it’s too nasty outside to ride there. The aero bars will definitely take some getting used to – the ride home from the shop, even using the Metro, was spent entirely on the outer bars where the brakes were, but then again, I was riding on city streets, not out on open road with no cars. Glad I got it now, though, so I have time to practice on it well before the race in June.

Training otherwise is going well. I’m making most of the planned training sessions, with the exception of the bike ones last week (for obvious reasons – no bike yet!). The double training days on Tu/Th are going pretty well, as is the planned day off on Wednesday. I’m glad to have that rest built into the middle of the week, it definitely helps break up the routine and give me time to remember that I used to have a life outside of training, as well as letting me do errands like, oh, getting my hair cut.

In not so happy news, I broke up with K. It’s a complicated story, and I don’t want to go into a lot of details here, but I’m not seeing him any more.

Work is getting busier by the day, and I’m not keeping up with it, much to my annoyance. I almost suspect we’re getting enough other stuff going on in my area to justify another 1/2 a body (with the other 1/2 to be other “general law” stuff), or even a full body to handle the loan stuff I’m learning now. What a mess that is. Sat through some training today on it and I have to say, I’m almost wishing I’d done the joint JD/MBA degree rather than the JD/MA – the financing stuff would be very useful right about now.

Tired a lot of late from the training. A good tired, but still tired. Oh, and I gave up caffeine the week of Thanksgiving again. Had a decaf that weekend, and some sips of tea one lunch, but otherwise have steered clear of it. Honestly, it’s been a lot easier to dump this time than the original trip back in 2000-2001. Haven’t really felt the need for the stuff, despite the tiredness from the training, and my continuing trips down to the cafeteria in the morning before work (a ritual I do with one of the other new attorneys – used to get coffee together, now she gets coffee and I occasionally get a bagel). Glad I did it, and I look forward to having it completely out of my system again in another couple of months.

No more bites to report, though I find myself increasingly irritated at the management of the building for their (to my mind) poor business decisions in who they’re renting to. They’ve done nothing about the guys next door, only spraying when I fuss about the bugs returning. I had to pound on the wall on Sunday when I got home to get them to turn their music down (like I want to hear their music loudly and clearly through a concrete wall), and while they had the good sense to turn it down (had they not, security would have been called), it was still an incredible annoyance on an otherwise okay day. I so look forward to getting away from them and their unwanted little guests (both the two- and multi-legged varieties).

I need to arrange for a good full body massage sometime soon. It’s funny, I have so many friends who are professional massage therapists now that my problem is deciding which therapist to use for any given issue. But some work on the back/shoulders and legs is needed and soon.

Made arrangements to take next Friday off from work (the 2nd) and go get fitted for and hopefully take home a Specialized Transition Elite triathlon bike. That’s the next piece of major equipment for the race in June. I think the only other big things I need after that are an indoor trainer and a wetsuit, then I’m good to go.

Also started the process to remove the last bits of my credit card debt. I’m taking a small loan out against my federal retirement account, which will then get paid back through payroll deductions over the next three years. It accomplishes a couple of major things: 1) Reduces the balances on all my credit cards, and my debt consolidation loan through the credit union, to zero; 2) Lowers the interest rates, even on the debt loan, by over half, and in one case to about a quarter of what it is now; and 3) Gives me a time certain when these things will be paid off. I was leery of borrowing against my retirement savings, but you know, getting rid of this debt faster and cheaper is worth it.

Da Boss also came in to talk about bonuses, so it seems those are happening this year. I was given a new choice this fall; in addition to the time-off-versus-cash options I got last year (cash, cash, cash!), I was offered a Quality Step Increase (QSI). The QSI would have been a better deal in the long run, as it was worth more than the cash over the long haul, but for the fact that Da Boss also mentioned that there will be talks this time next year with Da Really Big Boss (aka the political appointee head of my office, who happens to like me a lot) about a grade increase. If the grade increase happens, which it is likely to do, the QSI becomes not as valuable over the long run. So I chose the cash. When it’ll come in is anybody’s guess, but that’s money that can be used for moving, whenever that happens.

A tad sleepy today. The building is spraying for the bed bugs again today, so was out on the futon last night. The usual Sunday night jitters were running through my head, including thoughts about the loan I just discussed. I’m also caffeine-less today as I’m going through with the plans to kick the habit again. Done it before, can do it now. I’m sure that isn’t helping the sleepies, but damn it, I’m tired of being chemically dependent to stay awake during the day, or to get up in the morning.

All in all a busy day thus far. Weight workout planned after work, then home to figure out foodstuffs with Richard.

Even though the folks at work seem to universally have a pretty good opinion of me and my work product, I always dread performance reviews. It’s an irrational fear, but it’s there. Did the latest one today, and it was fine, as usual.

We’re experiencing the calm before the storm here in DC, literally. There’s a cold front moving through that’ll drop our temps a good 20 degrees or so this afternoon, but in the meantime it’s hot & humid here inside the Big Government Agency and that’s got a lot of people on edge. Me, I’m staying holed up in my office for as long as I can and avoiding eye contact with stressed out gubmint workers (which is pretty much everyone here).

I think I’ve decided Wednesdays will be my rest days on the tri training plan. I need at least one (other) work day evening with nothing after work, so Wednesdays it is. I’ve been trying out the schedule I want to follow and so far it’s pretty good, aside from needing more sleep time. I expect that to get a tad better as I shake things out and get into more of a routine here soon, but in the meantime I’m coasting through. Made all the more fun because I’m reducing my caffeine use with an eye to kicking it again. I’ve said I wanted to do that, and I think it’s time now. Have gotten myself down to a small decaf in the mornings and that’s it, so I think this is doable. And this is the time of year I did it last time – the normal disruptions of the holiday period were, strangely enough, conducive to dumping the stuff from my diet, so I’m trying what’s worked before. Keep your fingers crossed.

Bought Madonna’s latest but haven’t had much time to listen to it yet. So far so good, much better than the last one (may Mirwais rot in hell for that drivel – one album of it was okay, two was death).

In an odd place, as is probably normal, with Richard. We’re slowly making the transition down to roomies & friends, and I think it’ll be fine, but in the meantime it’s still a touch raw and awkward. I’m helping him with some work stuff, and we’re still chatting (still no thrown dishes or ugly words), so it’s just day by day there.

Looked at some places to rent online. I’m definitely leaning toward one particular building, with an efficiency, 600 square feet with a balcony. Still looking in SW, that’s still the best looking locale for now.

I used to like fall. The comfortable temps, the holiday prep, etc. Since I’ve started running and the like, though, it’s more of a pain in the ass than anything else.

The light is wrong, clear, yet “off” from the norm. Leaves everywhere make the paths treacherous to my klutzy self – either they’re wet and slippery or dry and treacherous. Plus they hide rocks, sticks and other things that can make one, oh, say, break one’s ankle.

Give me summer any day of the week.

In other news™, I made the plunge on Thursday and signed up for the Mooseman 1/2 Ironman for next June 4th. Yup, I’m insane, but I’m looking forward to the challenge. Right after I clicked the “submit” button, I think it hit fully that I was actually going to be doing this. I’ve been wanting to do a 1/2 Ironman distance race this next year, and how could I resist a race named the Mooseman? But yeah, life is going to be a lot different with the training and what not. 2006 promises to be a busy year.

I want to do a fall marathon as well, and I’m undecied as to whether to try to get into the Marine Corps Marathon or to just go for another local-ish fall marathon. Since my eventual timeline is to try for an Ironman race in 2007, I’d kinda like to have done a full marathon first (I did a 1/2 marathon back in 2003 after the bike accident and before the broken ankle – 2003 was a particularly bad year for accidents), before attempting one at the end of a triathlon.

I’ll probably also end up doing Diamond in the Rough to help with the club championship series for my tri club as well. Past that, I’ll have to dig for other races for next season yet. But Mooseman and Diamond will be the two that I’m going to focus on for now, with Mooseman taking priority.

I think I may be fighting off a head cold at the moment. Sudafed has been drafted once more, and I’m hopeful it’ll be a short thing. Been spending a lot of time out of the house lately, and some late nights have probably caught up with me. I’m trying to get stuff out of my system before I become a triathlon hermit. Once I start the training, I don’t anticipate that I’ll have much energy for much else outside work, training and the other minutiae of life. And honestly, I’m okay with that. Triathlon, specifically building toward an Ironman, is something I’ve wanted for a good many years, and now I’m pursuing it, and that’s what’s going to be the priority for me.

Spent a most pleasant weekend just hanging out, doing not much of anything. I stayed out of the house (which is odd for me – I’m normally Mr. Homebody). Wandered some in town, did dinner in Georgetown (which is very odd – I hate wandering around G’town more than once a quarter or so – the sidewalks are too narrow and the other f*cking suburbanite shoppers are too f*cking clueless to know to do things like, oh, walk on the right, or get the hell out of the way rather than stop right in front of someone who’d like to mow them down keep walking down the sidewalk), found some triathlon books I had been looking for, and generally had a pleasant time. One forgets how nice this city can be to live and play in.