Thursday, February 10, 2011

every step


last weekend, I ran a 5k race in the park.
it's truly my backyard race. I did it for the first time last year, on far too little sleep and far too much stress. Last year, I had a time goal, and a secondary time goal and a "run every step". I made the secondary time goal, but neither of the others.

this year, I had a simple goal. Run it.
Overall, I was slower. ~0:30/mile slower. Notably slower.
But I ran it.
All of it.

despite the ankle.
despite the fact that I've been training trapeze, doing prep hikes for an upcoming trip, working too much.
despite the fact that run training was squeezed in.
and that some times I realized that between all these activities, I hadn't a day without a serious workout for >2 weeks. yes, it's a balance of strength and cardio. yes, it's different muscles. but sometimes, the body just wants a day off.
despite the fact that it was a good 15-20 degrees warmer than my preferred and usual run temperature.
despite all that.

I ran it. Slow and steady and negative-split. and managed not to be too disappointed in my time. I knew I hadn't trained for a better time.

and then hung out while a friend finished her walk/run version and laughed when she turned to me and said "I was smiling when I crossed the finish line and this is all your fault." another one hooked.

followed by a lovely breakfast at a cafe reading the paper in the sun with El Bandito, then a short hike in the woods. Ok, the hike was longer than the run :)

February's been busy.
This Sunday's an audition with my trapeze piece. Nervous.

Friday, February 4, 2011

milestones.


Trapeze isn't a sport where you compete, really (although there are amazing elite circus competitions). And that's not to say that aerialists aren't competitive. We're supportive and friendly to each other, and excited when someone does something impressive or unique. But we are competitive.

It's a little like ice-skating. Or gymnastics. And a little bit like dance.

But there aren't necessarily specific tricks that are benchmarks. There aren't meets or races; there isn't a scoring system. Measuring progress can be difficult sometimes.

One reason I do trapeze is the way it pushes me to constantly challenge myself, to push myself past a comfort level and do things which scare me.

You learn some tricks in safety lines, so that you can be caught when (not if) you fall off the bar or land awkwardly in the process of learning a trick.

Today, I finally took a trick out of safety lines that I've been working on for a very long time. It's not actually that difficult, just somewhat risky. From standing on the trapeze to ankle hang.

Finally out of lines.

There's a glass of bubbly on the coffee table to celebrate tonight. Only one -- I'm running a 5K this weekend and working on my routine for an audition for the circus center's showcase. The one I'd hoped to do in August, before the ankle went kerplooey.

But I am grinning. Finally. And it felt good. Solid. No hesitation.

That's a milestone.