The Balance

The balance between making sure to train and enjoying life is sometimes difficult! Especially when this type of training is new to me and not a core routine just yet. It's becoming that way! And the reason I know that is when I don't train to the level I need to, I feel antsy about it. Could be a good thing. Could be a bad thing. I'm going with… good!

This weekend involved supporting artists and "arteries" around town. Our good friend performed with the Free Range Singers at the Pence Gallery, which was awesome. I also found is incredibly entertaining that there was a young (high school age?) rock band playing just outside the building. They didn't compete at all, the soundproofing was great. But I loved going back and forth between the positive encouraging music of the Free Range out to the loud hard rhythms of the "youngens." Friday is my day off from training so no worries about doing little more than standing, swaying, a little air guitar, maybe some lip syncing (maybe not!), and walking around.

Saturday was a little more difficult. Picnic Day in Davis is either something you jump into or something you run from. The past two years we have spent most of Picnic Day at Good Humus enjoying our own kind of picnic with friends. They have "make your own" wood oven pizzas that are to die for! How can they not be great if you make it yourself?? We walked around a little admiring the flower garden and the plants they have on sale. But I certainly wouldn't call it "exercise." When we got back, I felt a little at a loss about what to do. My calf is not cooperating with my running. Our gym was already closed (lame!). And the population of Davis has quadrupled for Picnic Day. So I just walked with about 30 lbs on my back for a couple hours. Funny how doing that is actually exercise! I have never been much of a walker. Maybe because I'm one of those "5 minutes late" kind of people so I usually have to fly on my bike. So it's been interesting to feel a different kind of soreness… and a different kind of relief from stretching. I feel my hips more. Not pain at all… just an awareness that seems to have come with walking more. I like it!

Then Sunday we were up so so early. SO early! I'm a night person so when I was younger, if I had to get up when the first number is 4 or lower, I would just stay awake. That doesn't work anymore so I actually did sleep. We jumped on Amtrak to visit our friends in Santa Cruz. Let's be honest. We jumped on Amtrak to go visit our friends' baby in Santa Cruz! (= We walked all along the ocean. SO peaceful and such a great recovery. But in the back of my mind I was thinking that I needed to hike 3 hours with weight to stay on top of my schedule. Where is the balance?? I wanted to spend time with our friends the baby. And how is that NOT a good thing?? So I let it go. Not the baby. The need to train. It only came back briefly as we were lounging on the beach and I thought, "Hey! I could sprint up and down this beach 10 times and that would be a good workout!" But I let that go too… and took a little nap. Maybe that was the wrong choice because I was punished with very sunburned feet! lol

I'm happy for the busy social weekend with which we were blessed! I can feel a pang of regret for not working out more. My mental exercise today will be to move forward toward what I can do now as well as cherishing the overall feeling of relaxation that I am experiencing from such a great weekend!

Maybe that is my balance.

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