Take it Outside ll: Electric Boogaloo (djtrippyT)

[DJtrippyT]

Goddammit NOW they tell me. I’ve just been doing crystal meth for breakfast

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Following.

[Xena]

[DJtrippyT]

Yesterday I did nothing, except help the Mantis change the battery in his car and watch the Mets nearly blow a five-run lead and lose to the Phillies, because they’re the Mets and my own personal agony. They came back in overtime though. Not an auspicious start, to either baseball season or the challenge. I’ll go to the gym today though. 

 

This is from the lake the other day, which was nice. 

 

 

[DJtrippyT]

The universe keeps sending me Bob Ross messages this week. I wonder what that means. 

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

4 hours ago, DJtrippyT said:

The universe keeps sending me Bob Ross messages this week. I wonder what that means. 

It means paint a second tree, because everybody needs a friend.

 

Either that, or take a paintbrush and beat the devil out of it.

[Cheetah]

3 hours ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

It means paint a second tree, because everybody needs a friend.

 

Either that, or take a paintbrush and beat the devil out of it.

 

IAgreeWithTank™

[DarK_RaideR]

[DJtrippyT]

Speaking of things that seem to find me without asking, this was part of a new art show at the coffee shop yesterday

 

@Sloth the Enduring

[DJtrippyT]

okay, Wednesday update and also some random thoughts that I'm going to put under the spoiler so you don't have to read them if you don't want to.

 

Wednesday was an okay day. I went to the coffee shop to work because I had a zillion tedious things to do, and it's easier when I'm working elsewhere so I don't have as much "home" distraction (did I do the laundry, the dishwasher needs running, why are the cats so quiet...). I got my big office re-do 90% done right before my vacation though, so I'm really happy about that; I can actually work in there again and when I re-designed it I focused on making it very zen and airy so it would feel calming. (I spent a lot of time on pinterest pre-redo). 

 

I got almost all the zillion tedious things done, and then I went to the gym. It was leg day. I didn't get quite everything I was supposed to do done due to time constraints.

 

rower 5 minute warm up

Lat pulldown 3x140x10

hip thrust 3x50x10

leg press 3x130x10

 

I was supposed to do pull-ups, not lat pulls, but we got a new assisted pull-up machine and got rid of the old one, and I didn't have the time to figure out how the new one worked. As long as I did some pulling work it's okay.

 

Then I ran on the treadmill, and I wanted to do a mile again but I only managed half a mile. Possibly the leg work beforehand tipped the balance, or the fact that I hadn't eaten all day - all I had was a cinnamon muffin at the coffee shop [punches self in face in solidarity with @deftona)

 

Then I showered at the gym and went straight to dinner and BF and mine's weekly trivia game, because I thought ahead and brought my stuff to the gym so I didn't have to go all the way home and change. Win! And then we came in second in the game - we always, always lose - so I felt smarter than usual. Really we only finished second because I was the only person who knew Tensing Norgay was the first sherpa to reach the top of Mount Everest (how I can remember this minutia when I regularly can't remember what county I live in I don't know). We got an ovation from the whole bar.

 

So today I plan to ride my bike as the weather has finally cleared, and then do a hike immediately after, to simulate the conditions of the adventure race. It won't be an eight-hour workout, though. I got shit to do. I'm trying to get it all done by 1pm so I can get after the training.

 

random thoughts that you don't have to read and really aren't challenge related, and are kind of rambling:

 

 

So I've been trying to do some self life-coaching and business coaching and I'm keeping an ongoing document on my computer where I keep notes of things I want to fix, issues I'm having, changes that I've made that work, etc. I hadn't updated it in a while and last week when I got back from traveling I cracked it open and started reviewing it and jeez louise, I felt like a hadn't made any progress at all. All the same issues just seemed to be on the docket - financial stuff, lack of time, overwhelm, can't figure out how to eat, etc. I had decided to re-do my weekly planner and I went looking for the template in some older folders, and I found a earlier version of the self coaching stuff I tried to do about a year and a half ago, and jesus christ it was all the same stuff again. It was the most depressing thing imaginable to see myself still floundering at the same stuff. And I felt like shit about it for about fifteen minutes. And then I had a revelation of sorts. 

 

What if it isn't me?

 

What if it's not the driver, but the vehicle? Maybe - bear with me, I know this sounds crazy - maybe I'm just trying to do to much stuff all on my own, and the reason I'm cracking under strain is that it's just more than one person can do? I mean, I run my own business. I have a side business that I also run on my own. I deal with all my financial crap on my own. I'm trying to develop a third business as part of a five-year-plan to transition out of what I do now. I'm trying to write and finish a film in my spare time. I do all the household stuff at our house (except boyfriend's laundry; thank god he likes to do that himself. And he mows the lawn). All my exercise and nutrition and shopping is self-planned and organized. It's not me. It's too much stuff for one person.

 

It was like getting hit in the face with a fish. I've never actually entertained the thought that my productive capacity might actually have a limit. I always assumed that if I couldn't get something done it was because I was a lazy piece of shit, not because, you know, I just put in the third eighteen-hour day on an assignment and maybe it's normal not to want to clean the litterboxes and weed the patio at that point. And really the only reason I made the connection was because I had worked out with the trainer on Friday, and when he asked me what I wanted to do I just gave him a rough outline of my next goal and said, just tell me what to do. And then did it. It was such a relief to not have to figure it out. And on the last challenge, when I laid out all my training for a month, how nice it was just to have the plan and follow it, and not have to waste hit points on figuring out every workout, every day. I still got the work in (53rd place, bitches!) but it wasn't this continual drain on my mental resources. (it was still a huge amount of time).

 

So the point of this whole enormous ramble is that I'm going to start letting go of some of this stuff and allow myself to get some help. I'm going to look into getting an assistant or something for my office. I'm going to get signed up for some sort of business coaching program to see if that helps. I'm going to cough up ten bucks for the headspace app or something similar so I can get some calming/meditation advice. I'm already working out with the trainer at the gym, but I'm going to commit to doing it once a week and let him advise me on what to do even though it's expensive, just so I can get the feedback and have someone helping me. And even though my boyfriend thinks getting household help is some sort of moral failing, I'm going to look into getting occasional help around the house. Maybe I'll just schedule it for a time he's at work and not tell him, and he can just think I'm suddenly really good at cleaning the bathrooms. When the neighbor's lawn service comes this week, I'm going to go over and offer the guy twenty bucks to weed whack around the raised beds in the garden and clear the paths, so I can get that off my to-do list, where it's been lingering since, oh, September. Of 2017. I won't be able to do all this at once - I have some OCD tendencies to overcome, and I'll have to space out the expenses - but I'm going to gradually let go of some of this stuff and make some more things decision-neutral so I can ease my mind a bit. Really I just want to be able to sleep at night without laying there staring at the ceiling, running tomorrow's to-do list through my brain and wondering if this is the day I finally go under.

 

Okay, sorry about so much serious, I'm supposed to be the funny one and I'm not today. I'll be funnier later.

 

[Xena]

A quick response to a long and thoughtful post.

 

I have had similar experience and feel like I understand. That's exactly what I liked about using a meal kit service. It's not that I don't know how to cook. I do. It's the mental energy of not having to think about it. It's pretty much exactly why I'm working with a running coach. I know how to coach myself reasonably well. But it's the mental energy of having to think about it.

 

I get it. I think you are on to something.

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

The thought occurs to me that if boyfriend doesn't like a cleaning service working in the home he can get off his ass and pull his weight. 

[NeuroPunkNonsense]

Following.  

[deftona]

5 hours ago, DJtrippyT said:

Okay, sorry about so much serious, I'm supposed to be the funny one and I'm not today. I'll be funnier later.

 

Well I, for one, am a HUGE fan of serious Trippy too. 

 

I completely support your big delegation challenge, you offload those chores like they're hot girl! 

[Cheetah]

5 hours ago, DJtrippyT said:

Tensing Norgay

 

I knew this one!  Mostly because his partner in crime Sir Edmund Hillary was responsible for building the runway at Lukla. 
 

Spoiler

 

5 hours ago, DJtrippyT said:

I do all the household stuff at our house

 

5 hours ago, DJtrippyT said:

my boyfriend thinks getting household help is some sort of moral failing

5 hours ago, DJtrippyT said:

getting occasional help around the house

 

So, obviously I'm underinformed about your domesticals, but....    what if the boyfriend helped around the house?  Just a thought....  (eta I didn't see Tank's reply before I wrote this.  IAgreeWithTank™ as always.)

 

I can definitely relate to feeling rough because I found out I can't do ALL THE THINGS.  I suspect that many Rangers can relate to this.

 

 

[NeuroPunkNonsense]

Seconding (thirding?) Tank and Cheetah's suggestions re:cleaning. Why doesn't the boyfriend help? Especially if you two live together. And if you don't it's none of his business if you hire help.

[Sloth the Enduring]

Boyfriend needs a talking to.


I saved that pic for my future Speedo challenge.

[DJtrippyT]

I just ran two miles on the treadmill!!!

 

More later I have to throw up 

[Xena]

Awesome!!!

[Cheetah]

Good job!

[DJtrippyT]

Updates for this week so far:

 

thanks especially to everyone for being so supportive about my issues with overwhelm, it’s a tremendous help. I think I am going to take everyone’s suggestion and just forge forward with getting some household help at least once in a while. I’ll figure out how to justify it later ;-)

 

(really, I don’t mean to paint my boyfriend as some chauvinistic knuckle-dragger; he just has much a much lower bar for what constitutes “clean” than I do, and he grew up on a farm, where not being able to repair a tractor clutch with some baling wire and a crushed coke can was considered a sign of weakness. He’s the same way outside the house; no matter how busy he is he refuses to get a lawn service, and will happily let the grass grow up to our noses before he’ll admit he can’t get to it. He’s very good with cats though so that’s a plus. )

 

So Wednesday was obviously a tad rough, but I put in a new pair of contact lenses, cut my bangs, and pulled my sh$t together. I put the office stuff aside and caught up in the house stuff and then took to the hills. 

 

I took my bike to Stone Mountain amd did two laps (nine miles total) around the park, which is very very hilly. I was concerned about that since I haven’t trained hills in forever (I’ve barely ridden the bike for that matter ) but I actually did well; I was in the granny gear, to be sure, but I did the two laps without rest stops and I made it up all the hills without grinding to a halt and falling off the bike (I can’t wait to get my next job so I can change out my pedals and kiss clip-in shoes goodbye). 

 

Immediately after finishing the laps, I locked up the bike, changed my bike shorts for workout pants (under a towel, surfer style) and started the walk-up trail. Holy moly. Just the approach trail was like being punched in the mouth after riding and my legs felt like they were still trying to pedal rather than walk. Now I know how triathaletes feel. I was never planning to do the whole walk-up that day - it’s about a mile and a quarter, and of course I got later than planned so I was worried about running out of light - but I did about three quarters of a mile up and then came down and I was pretty pleased with that. There were a few trail runners out there just flying up and over the rocks and I was jealous of them. There was even one guy jogging with that oxygen-restricting Bane mask on; he sounded like he was breathing through a vaccum cleaner extension that was submerged in a bathtub, and I felt sorry for him. 

 

So that was a really solid solid workout and good training for the adventure race. I had chipotle for dinner to avoid dishes ;-)

 

Thursday I was pretty fatigued workout-wise. I spent the day doing office stuff and got a ton done, and ordered a couple of business coaching books to help with my office stuff. Then I went to the gym at around 7pm. I was really, really not feeling it. The plan was to do a circuit workout and then run on the treadmill for 30

minutes, but I wound up skipping the weights and just doing the run. One of my milestones for this challenge was that I had to be able to run two miles by the end of week zero (I hit one mile last week) so I just got my mind right and made the deal with myself that if I got the two miles in that workout then I wouldn’t have to run again until Monday, but if I wimped out I would have to run every day. I do much better if I ignore the carrot and embrace the stick. And it worked! I jogged two miles at a 3.4 mph pace (Xena will have to tell me how slow that is) and really the whole battle was mental; my body was okay but my brain was bored senseless and begging to stop. I watched workout videos with good montage music to take my mind off of it. 

 

So obviously some major stoke for that, ESPECIALLY since it came directly after the workout the day before. I’m definitely making progress. I mean even I can see that. So I’m feeling very upbeat about it so far, even though the race is only 30 days away. 

 

Today I’m giving myself the day off work wise and workout wise; I’m going to chill and then go skate later as an easy recovery day, and if I only skate for half the session that’s fine; it’s really just to have some fun and move around in a different way. 

 

This is the walk-up trail; I plan to do it once a week until the race, and the I should keep doing it because I have a big hiking/backpacking trip on my dream list for late autumn and this would be the perfect training. 

[DJtrippyT]

On 4/17/2019 at 1:15 PM, Xena said:

That's exactly what I liked about using a meal kit service. It's not that I don't know how to cook. I do. It's the mental energy of not having to think about it. It's pretty much exactly why I'm working with a running coach. I know how to coach myself reasonably well. But it's the mental energy of having to think about it.

 

 

 

I keep thinking about trying one of those meal kit things. They have them at the grocery store now too; everything you need is in a packet. My grocery store also has prepped vegetables in the fresh section; sweet potatoes already cubed and zucchini already zoodled with seasoning. I’ve become a big fan of those. 

 

Right now I’m playing with an idea that I found online on a minimalist blog; this writer suggested picking your favorite prep method for a series of proteins and amd always making them that way, and then just varying the serving template. So today I’m putting some pork chops in the crockpot with a Greek marinade, and I’ll pick how I want to serve it (leaning towards a rice bowl). Next week on “pork chop night” I’ll cook them the same way, but do a wrap or a pasta instead; theoretically this means you only have to think about the serving style since you know how the main dish is going to be cooked. 

 

All the recipes I picked were crock pot things because I love the way it does the cooking for me :-)

[DJtrippyT]

On 4/17/2019 at 1:36 PM, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

The thought occurs to me that if boyfriend doesn't like a cleaning service working in the home he can get off his ass and pull his weight. 

 

I was not expecting this sentence to go where it did and I laughed really hard so well played :-)

[DJtrippyT]

16 hours ago, Sloth the Enduring said:

I saved that pic for my future Speedo challenge.

 

DON’T TEASE ME

[Xena]

On 4/19/2019 at 12:37 PM, DJtrippyT said:

Immediately after finishing the laps, I locked up the bike, changed my bike shorts for workout pants (under a towel, surfer style) and started the walk-up trail. Holy moly. Just the approach trail was like being punched in the mouth after riding and my legs felt like they were still trying to pedal rather than walk. Now I know how triathaletes feel.

 

Yeah, I was gonna mention that, but figured you would find out for yourself :-)

 

On 4/19/2019 at 12:37 PM, DJtrippyT said:

(Xena will have to tell me how slow that is)

 

It's perfect. You did 2 miles. You are awesome.

 

On 4/19/2019 at 12:53 PM, DJtrippyT said:

I keep thinking about trying one of those meal kit things. They have them at the grocery store now too; everything you need is in a packet. My grocery store also has prepped vegetables in the fresh section; sweet potatoes already cubed and zucchini already zoodled with seasoning. I’ve become a big fan of those. 

 

Right now I’m playing with an idea that I found online on a minimalist blog; this writer suggested picking your favorite prep method for a series of proteins and amd always making them that way, and then just varying the serving template. So today I’m putting some pork chops in the crockpot with a Greek marinade, and I’ll pick how I want to serve it (leaning towards a rice bowl). Next week on “pork chop night” I’ll cook them the same way, but do a wrap or a pasta instead; theoretically this means you only have to think about the serving style since you know how the main dish is going to be cooked. 

 

All the recipes I picked were crock pot things because I love the way it does the cooking for me :-)

 

Great ideas. It's not too hard to cook delicious food without too much strain. The meal kits were fun because they made it easy to cook different things. Kind of extra fancy with no extra effort. I gave up on them because I felt guilty about the various waste. Once the figure out the packaging better (especially the ice packs) I might try again. Doing it in your own grocery store seems like it would solve some of the problems. I guess I also felt bad that they would ship me small packaged containers of things I already had laying around.