It happens to us all

You know, those events that occur that make an impact on your life, your behavior, your thoughts... And as they occur, you don't necessarily know that they're that important. It's only after the fact that you realize just how much they matter.

I had one of those this past weekend. I was given the opportunity to remember the things that are important to me. And I was reminded to slow it down a notch every now and then and assess the moment.

It's all very fitting because this is a recovery week. And I was beginning to feel the effects of the training build-up over the previous three weeks. I don't just mean physically. It's all very mentally exhausting as well. I get a little tired of always thinking about the next workout and it's purpose, going to bed at such-and-such time so that I can assure at least eight hours sleep, what to eat and when for optimal recovery, and let's not start on when to fit in the grocery shopping, cleaning, laundry...planning, planning, planning. It gets to feeling like I never have time to enjoy RIGHT NOW because I'm always thinking about what's next.

And recovery weeks help me get back to being able to do that. I take my focus down a notch. It's not that training is any less important. Or that I love it any less. It's just that I'm not taking it so seriously. And it seems this might be a better approach to training every day. So, I think I'm going to try and be a bit less concerned with how it all fits in and just be a bit more grateful that I always fit it in... If the laundry sits in the basket for five days, it doesn't mean I'm a bad person or that the world is falling apart. The laundry will wait. And it will get done. Eventually. Lord knows, I have plenty of gear to get me through more than a week of training.

Speaking of which, Boulder was in town over the weekend and brought lots of goodies for me - cycling jerseys and shorts and jackets and gloves, running shorts, tops, a trisuit. Yeah, I'm spoiled. It was in part due to a friend of his, but still, free gear is always much appreciated. We had a fun weekend overall. But I can't say it was training focused. And that, in part, is what led to my little revelation over the weekend.

On to other things...
 - The Lost premier last night? Well, I loved it for all it's literary and biblical references, but I was a little annoyed with the introduction of, yet, more new characters. This show always makes for good work conversation.
 - I got my Splish grab bag suit today. It's super cute - red and black tiger stripes...but it does say "Boston University Masters Swimming" on the back and "BUMS" on the, uh...bum. Regardless, good training suit.
 - A copy of Food, Inc. is set to arrive from Netflix today. I've been wanting to see it for a while now and with Marni making note of it in her blog, I'm even more interested.
 - I have my first ROGAINE this weekend. And they're calling for cold wetness...a mix of rain and snow coming in tonight and leading into Saturday. Yay.
 - I also have a Nathan hydration pack coming tomorrow for use in that race. I'll let you all know how it works.
 - ...because I'll likely be using it for Leadville Silver Rush 50. I registered on Monday.
 - Coach Troy, from Spinervals fame, is competing again this year and has a blog. If you haven't stumbled upon it yet, go see him here.
 - Somehow, I am still loving those Spinervals Dvds. And they are getting easier. Judi and I love making fun of the cyclists in the videos. Boulder knows half of them. It makes life on the trainer more interesting, that's for sure.

That's about it. Oh, wait, we got sun this weekend! Yes, SUN! It's gone now, but still. It graced us with it's presence for about two gloriously cold days.