The Power of A Sandwich

What's below is not my story but I wish it were. I was talking to a friend the other day and I asked her how her husband was doing. They've been married for almost twenty years. 

"Okay," she said. "We were talking on the phone last week and he was having a really bad day at work and I wanted to help so I asked him if he wanted to come home for a nooner."

"Nice," I said. "Very giving of you."

She snorted. 'It would of been. But that fool says to me, 'Nah. I think I'll just come home and have a sandwich.'"

I died laughing. I think you have to be married a really long time to get it. Sandwich...sex.  They both have their appeal.

Cheers,

Dena

Am I Becoming A Warm Weather Runner?

For the past 8 years since I've been running, I've always considered myself a cold-weather runner. While I'm  not crazy about the layers of clothes involved in 40 degree runs, there's no denying these runs are in some ways much easier then the oppressive, thick, humid runs of summer. 

In cold weather, the lungs fling themselves wide and take in great gulps of crisp air that propel you forward. Sweat evaporates into the atmosphere instead of smothering you like a second skin. And you feel crisp, and faster. 

I've never understood runners who said they prefer 90 degree temps for running. I assumed there was some sort of family lineage of mental illness and went out of my way to be kind to them. And yet...

When I've stepped outside the last few mornings (at 4:45 am to go to the gym so who's calling who crazy?) it's been on the brisk side. Not even close to cold, but just... not warm. And my reaction has been nothing short of horror. I don't want the cold weather to come back where it takes a mile of running before my toes begin to thaw. I don't want to haul out hats and scarves and arm warmers and hand warmers and gloves. I don't want to sit in my car until the very last few seconds before a group run starts in order to prevent frostbite. 

All of this from 60 degree temperatures. 

It's going to get ugly around here come wintertime. 

Cheers,

Dena

Most Boring Blog Post Ever?

What happened in Denaland yesterday? Time for another mind-bending glimpse of...

“How Dena Spent Her Day”

5:00 a.m. – Up. Decaf coffee, Facebook, e-mails, straighten house

6:30 – 7:30 – Shower/Breakfast… you know the drill

7:45 – 1 p.m. – Office

1:20 – 3 – Haircut and highlights. Take laptop and work while sitting with foil head.

3:10 – 4:15 – Back at office

4:30 – 5:45 – Home to feed cats, change clothes, answer e-mails. Start edit on deck just sent to me from work

6 – 7:30 – Crossfit and quick walk in park

7:45 – 8:30 – Finish edit on deck, brainstorm corporate identity renaming for client. Eat dinner at computer.

8:30 – 8:55 – Vacuum, scrub tub, clean kitchen. Say hello to Blair.

9 – 9:30 – Quick run to grocery store

9:40 – Realize I have yet to shower from Crossfit. Gross. Hop in shower.

10 p.m. – Fold laundry, read for 15 minutes, lights out.

Exciting stuff. If you’re lucky, next blog post I’ll go into in-depth detail about what I ate for lunch.

Cheers,

Dena

Shhh... (I May Be A Cyclist)

It’s no secret that I hate spin class. (Written proof here.) I have forced myself to grind through a handful of the “Up! Down! Tighten the tension! Power up the hill!”  pontifications of overly cheery spin instructors who do not seem to understand that at any given point in a spin class I am on the verge of either giving up or throwing up or both.

Which is why I fought getting a road bike. The only reason I did get a road bike is because completing a half-ironman (oh okay, you know me, a full ironman) is on the bucket list. The fact that I neither swim nor bike, however, makes this something of a stretch goal.

So when my dear friends Don and Kathi (both Ironmen competitors) offered to loan me an old road bike of Don’s, I reluctantly agreed. Don spent an hour fitting me to the bike and then they sent me on my way.

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