Freakin' A Friday!! 008 - What the Holiday?

As a fitness professional, my schedule tends to be the opposite of most people.  When you're busy at work, I'm off doing my workouts and work around the house.  When you're out of work, I clock in!  And when there is a holiday - major or minor - it's just another day for me.  That fact alone has caused some frustrating incidents!

Where is everyone?

It's a Monday/Friday just like any other week and I decide to catch up on some errands before work.  In the spring and fall, I will head over to the town hall to drop off my tax payments.  To my surprise, the typically packed parking lot is empty.  It's 10am.  Where is everyone?  It's not until I get to the door and see the sign "Closed for [Insert Holiday]."

Gosh Darnit!

Columbus Day, President's Day, Labor Day, Memorial Day, July 4th, etc.  I never remember when any of those are! 

Or it happens this way...

Where did everybody come from?

I'm at work and all of a sudden I take notice of the people around the gym.  Either it's simply over packed for the time, there's a lot of kids there during school hours, or I start to see the regular evening goers working out well before their 5pm work release time.  What gives?  If it's a few people, maybe they just took a personal day, but after a certain number, I know I've missed something.  Eventually somebody clues me into whatever holiday I've neglected.  With luck, it's not anything I had to prep for!  haha

So can you do me a favor?

Tell me when the next holiday is.

Thanks!

I'll probably miss it otherwise.

Freakin' A!!!

Freakin' A Friday!! 007 - Procrastination

Ok, when was the last time this happened?!

Yesterday?

Today?

You got up or got home and your plan is to start your workout in 30 minutes.  You have a schedule to keep of course!  You're a triathlete (read: Type A).

6:00:00

You prep the bike, your swim gear, run shoes, or gym clothes.  You're all packed.

6:10:00

You grab a water bottle or any nutrition you need.  Check!

6:12:00

You check the workout just to be sure you remember what it is.  Don't want to forget it!!  Maybe you write it down just in case. 

6:16:00

You check the GPS watch.  Is it charged?  Yes, it is.  Good! 

6:18:00

Let's get a quick snack.  It has been awhile since you ate. 

6:25:00

You check your email "one last time" to be sure you're free to step away for awhile.  One quick email.  Good, done. 

6:28:00

What's the weather like right now?  Should I wear something different?  Nope, just what I expected.  I'm good.  

6:31:00

Well, you're already online, so let's check Facebook.  Oh, a couple notifications.  Hmmm... A message from Pete too.  Ok, real quick!  Oh, look at that video Sara posted!  Haha

6:35:00

I gotta' go!!  You shut your computer.

Let me hit the bathroom and I'll be off.  *flush*

6:39:00

Check the phone again.  Still no messages.  Cool!

6:40:00

Any emails?  Nope.

6:42:00

Did I grab enough water? 

6:43:00

Hmmm...  Maybe I do want to change my shirt...

6:45:00

Did Pete get back to me on Facebook?  Nope, but there's another post from Sara.  Hilarious!

6:50:00

And little do you know, an hour has gone by!

Procrastination takes down yet another hard set plan.

Freakin A!!

Freakin' A Friday!! 006 - Frozen in Your Tracts

I'm sure many of you have had experiences while running on the road and/or sidewalk like last week's post.  Because of that, plenty of us search out non-traffic laden routes.  Whether it be a rail-to-trail, a local park with a paved loop, or the good old trails off in the woods, we find our sanctuary somewhere. 

...until something like this happens!

You get up early (okay, "early" according to everybody else) on a beautiful weekend.  The weather is crisp, the sun is just peaking over the horizon, and you're up and ready for your run.  You're tired of the roads, so you head to your local trail.  It's perfect!  Plenty of beautiful views well away from any traffic to hinder you.  Awesome!

You get there to find a number of other cars parked.  These are your comrades in arms; other early morning runners, cyclists, and walkers!  

You get out, warm up a bit, pack your water, and make the biggest decision of the day. 

Do I head left?

Or do I head right?

Hmmmm....  After a second, you decide you always go right, so why not left today?  Sure!  Change it up.  It's all an adventure.  Off you go!

If you've got music, you pop on the perfect song.  If not, you just get into the groove of your breathing and listening to the peaceful surroundings.  Then it happens! 

There's a rustling in the woods.  "Hmmm... Maybe a squirrel or a nearby dog."  Then out pops one of nature's majestic creatures...

Hello there!

Until this moment, you have never fully understood the true meaning of "Frozen in Your Tracts."  As the seconds tick by (which feel like minutes), you earn a full comprehension!  You dare not move a muscle other than to blink!

In those frozen moments your mind starts to wander (read: RACE LIKE A WORM OUT OF THE MOUTH OF A BIRD!)

Can I out run a bear?

No, you can't outrun a bear, you idiot!

If I run, will that provoke it to follow?  Or should I stay put?

Should I play dead?

Is it "Brown, get down.  Black, move back"?  Or am I getting that mixed up?

Shoot!  What do I do?

Why is that lady ahead of me still walking this way with her tiny dog?!

The dog is so going to provoke the bear!

I am screwed.

I should have written a will.

I wonder what the HR data will look like on my Garmin.

I am so done for.

In reality, the bear merely ran across the path on it's own way actually more afraid of you than you were of him/her. 

But in that super-extended moment of panic, it felt like your final moments were going to look something like this...

How much did those track workouts do for you??

After what seems like 5-10 minutes, you s-l-o-w-l-y walk backwards the way you came, being sure to keep an eye on the spot where the bear ran back into the woods AND the lady up ahead with the dog who has now stopped to take pictures.  IDIOT!

Twenty (or maybe it was 100) steps later, you turn and walk, then jog, then run back to your car being super sensitive to any rustling of the leaves no matter how far off it may seem. 

As you get back to the car, you take a moment to celebrate.  "I just survived a black bear attack."  Noooooot quite!  You were lucky to simply not pee your pants in the middle of the rail to trails.  But that's not how the story goes when it gets told to your friends when you get home.. 

But of course you're a Type A personality, so that has to wait until after you finish your run.  Sure, there's a bear off to the left side of the trail, but that still leaves the right side!

What A Morning!

Freakin' A!!

Freakin' A Friday!! 005 - Look Both Ways Please

How many times has this happened to you??

You're enjoying a nice long run.  Plenty of good weather, other runners out on the sidewalk and roads, and lots of light (no dark run today!).  The adrenaline and endorphins are running high!

Then you come up on either a parking lot exit or a crossroad with a stoplight/sign.  As you approach, you can see around the corner quite clearly as should the car that is approaching.  However, as they approach the exit/street, you're watching their head which is pointed in the opposite direction of you; presumably looking for traffic.

You approach the crosswalk at your own speed just KNOWING what is about to happen.  "Please don't let me be the next 'Runner hit by car' headline."

The car approaches the crosswalk completely ignorant of you being there (or anything on that side of the car.  It could be T-Rex and they wouldn't know).

Then at the last moment before they pull out, they turn to look forward and...

BAM!!

There you are right smack in front of them.  They SLAM on the brakes.  You hear the screech of the tires.  Their hands shoot up.  We choose to assume they're saying sorry instead of something else.  You may have even tapped your hand on the car hood as you ran by in a way of saying "Thank you for not hitting me.  Please look both ways next time."

Freakin' A!!