Kayaking and King

As much fun as it is to kayak on the bay I have to admit it can be kind of creepy. The water is hypnotic. You know that the little fact that you don’t see any life out there other than the fish jumping doesn’t mean there is nothing out there. There could be anything in the water, just beneath as far down as you can see. The bay water is pretty dingy so that isn’t very far down at all.

I like to paddle out and then relax in the kayak, letting the water take me where it will. There’s always a point when I’m just staring down into the water watching the patterns of the sun and the chop. I feel like I can almost see something in the water, it’s just not quite close enough to the surface to see what it is. The brownish patch sliding under the kayak could be a manatee, it could be a shark, it could be anything.

I know that what I’m seeing is (probably) the light refracted through the water, a bit of plant or sometimes maybe a school of fish but my mind always has to bring up Steven King’s short story The Raft. Seriously, every single time.

The funny thing is my friend and I where kayaking last weekend and after we passed a large patch of (creepy, oily looking) seaweed he admitted he had been thinking about The Raft too.

It’s amazing what a reach books have on how we see things. I’ve always been a huge reader and the stories I like the best have always been either scary stories or spy books. Or anything with a super-hero in it. There’s more but I’ll leave it at that.

Point being it is amazing how often in day to day life I am reminded of a book I read, a story I heard, or a movie I saw. Without all of these stories I’m pretty sure my outlook on life would be completely different.

It’s probably thanks to Outbreak that if someone coughs in a movie theater I have an instant urge to cover my nose and mouth and leave. If an old man dressed in rags at a gas station tells me I should turn left a bit down the road you can bet I’m turning right. Or, more likely, turning around and going home. I’ll sleep in my car before I’ll sleep in that creepy looking house that I just happened to get a flat in front of.

I did stay in a cabin in the woods up in Flagstaff more than once, but I did NOT open any boxes or look in any closets and if someone would have knocked on the door I wouldn’t have answered, let alone walk out into the woods to see if I could find them.

Jaws anyone?

Barefoot Ramblings (with my shoes on)

So I've been at my new job about a month now.  I get off work at 5 EVERY DAY and I'm home by 5:40 if I  drive slow.  Um, ya I'm still thrilled.  I never used to be home before 6:30 and that was the one week a month I didn't have to work a later shift. 

What difference does it make?  Well, I can do laundry and other fun stuff during the week and leave more of my weekends to feel like weekends.  That alone is pretty nice.  Today I actually took the dogs to the woods across the way for a walk, came home and ate dinner, and it's still light out.  Craziness!

I used to run the trails over there barefoot when I first started the barefoot running thing, but since I've seen signs over there for wild hog hunts and someone on Facebook posted a picture of a very, very large cat in that park.  Now I get freaked out when I hear a lizard crawling through the leaves over there. One bad thing about running barefoot (besides the occasional stepping in yuck) is I feel a bit more vulnerable. What am I going to do, kick something attacking me with my bare foot?  Great, I'll break a toe but at least it won't matter because some rabid beast will be eating my leg anyway.

I've recently realized that since I started running barefoot in January I've worn shoes a lot less in general.  I've always been one to wear shoes to work that I can kick off under my desk but these days I rarely even wear them when I go visiting the family.  I tend to take them off when walking in the rain because water makes my sandals slippery. And honestly, that makes perfect sense to do, but I never used to, I'd slip around on my shoes all night instead.

It makes me kind of wonder.  Why do people not do the sensible?  It's sometimes a bit embarrassing to walk around barefoot in public (bar hopping lets you get away with it though) just because no one else is.  I have no desire to make any kind of statement but if it's more comfortable and easier, why not?

The biggest thing I wonder is if other people who run barefoot find themselves wearing their shoes less and less?

Short Run and a Little Yoga.

I haven't been running too much lately, I've just been too tired.  I decided I'd try a mile again tonight, and I did it but I had to stop in the middle for a few minutes.  Between the heat, the humidity, and being sick the last few weeks I don't even know if I should try and run or not, but that sounds like a bit of a cop out so I figured I better!

So I did my slow mile and then looked on line for a short yoga video.  I didn't feel like doing the after run yoga I usually do so I decided to try one specifically aimed at feet instead.  After all, if you're going to run barefoot you should watch out for your feet, right? This one felt kind of silly while I was doing it, but my neck and feet where both undeniably relaxed afterwards so I can't complain!  However, it's not going on my after a run list since it is very focused on just the two areas.

Yoga Therapy for the Feet and Neck with Erica Fritch

It's been much too long since I did yoga regularly, it is soooo good for everything!  I'm going to start looking a bit harder for a good yoga video on line specifically aimed at barefoot runners, maybe I'll find something awesome.

One Barefoot Mile to Motivation

So, I haven't run since I wrote No More Excuses.  On the plus side I DID say it would be a couple of weeks before I got into my new schedule.  On the bad side, really? An entire month without running? 

I do have good excuses though. I was out of town for a week and that gave me a reason not to bother running until I got back (2 weeks down). By the time I got back my ulcerative colitis started acting up. Still is actually - you'll have to trust me - that'll keep you from wanting to go running by itself. But to be honest I'm not that sick, it's nothing but an excuse at this point.  

Today is National Running Day.  I don't know why or even what that means.  However, it sounds impressive!  So I decide that the least I could do was go run 1 slow mile.  So I did. Hmmm, amazing what happens when you try.

My mile wasn't fast and it wasn't amazing. Garmin says my pace was a 13:07 mile which is slow enough that I should probably be embarrassed to even say it in public. But I'm not. Because somewhere on the way I found my motivation.  I remembered that I actually like running and that it makes me feel great.

And if that wasn't enough?

I finished my mile and started walking home thinking I may have to do a mile again tomorrow instead of waiting a day and running further.  I was feeling very good but a still little upset with myself that I hadn't run in so long and that I wasn't running 10 miles by now. After all, if I'd been running steady since the first day I ever started running I'd be running ultras by now.

As I was walking home I passed 2 guys who asked me if I was really running barefoot.  Um, yes.  They were tough looking guys but they told me I must be made of steel to be running barefoot.  Um, me?  There isn't a steel or tough bone in my body.  But it certainly felt good to have some one mistakenly think so! As if I wasn't motivated enough after running that reminded me that running can be all about perception.  I was embarrassed to only run a mile and these guys thought I was somehow tough for running at all barefoot.

All in all it was a funny, motivating night and I think it was more than enough to get me back on the running wagon.  Too bad I can't run with a six pack of beer or I'd run it over to that house and celebrate my next mile with them!

Lessons in Traveling

I think that if I did not have kids and dogs I would love to have a job that involved a lot of travel.  I had to go out of town last week for the whole week; it was the first time I've gone anywhere out of state by myself at all let alone for a week. I was a wee bit nervous.  I loaded my Kindle with books, packed a backpack with clothes and my all important GPS and was off. 

First important lesson- if you can get away with just a backpack when you are flying it is IDEAL.  No luggage to check in and pick up and nothing to shove in the overhead compartments on the plane.  Just pushed it under the seat and was on and off the planes ( 4 of them!) easily.  Of course not even most guys are as lazy and light a packer as I am.

Second lesson - pack light but bring an extra t-shirt.  I had to wear but the tank tops I had for under my work blouses when I went out in the evenings, good thing the weather was perfect!

Third lesson I actually learned last time I went out of town - always try the local beer!  I don't really drink much beer, but I made the rule and I must stand by it.  Oh, the trials and tribulations.

My first night there I drove through down town then went back to the hotel for pizza and merlot, the second night I went to to park then stopped at an Italian restaurant for pizza and merlot, and my third night I went to The Lazy Goat for pizza and a beer. and merlot.  Is there a theme there?  The Lazy Goat is very nice, but I have to admit I wasn't thrilled with the pizza, just because it had a pesto sauce and I don't really care for pesto.  For some reason I still try it about once a year.  Seems 2013 is not the year I suddenly realize I love pesto.  Oh well.

The company was good, the service was great, and the view was awesome.

After dinner we walked around downtown a bit, I even saw one of the mice on Main.  I hadn't heard of them before or I would have gone mouse hunting!

Oh, and by the way, my last night there I had hummus and pinot noir.  Branching out!

Paddling 3 Sister Springs!

I’m about an hour from Crystal River, but I’ve only been there once. I took my mom to swim with the manatees, and that was beyond awesome. There weren’t a lot of manatees but one baby kept coming up to everyone to check us out. His (her?) mom hung out a bit away from us, I guess just indulging his curiosity without actually wanting to be around us herself.

I’ve also been to Rainbow River (same area) twice tubing and that was a lot of fun too. Lots of fish and great scenery. I thought at the time it would be a great place to paddleboard; the water is smooth and clear.

Then as part of the Tampa Bay Blogger group I was invited to paddleboard with Manatee Paddle, a company that will be officially opening their doors June 1st in exchange for writing a review about the experience. Who’s going to say no to that? We toured 3 Sister Springs on Crystal River. They also have a tour on Rainbow River which I think would be pretty nice too, offer lessons and a even sell boards and accessories.

Manatee Paddle offers two boards for the tour/rentals. The first one I tried was the Surf Imaging board, which is aimed towards the beginner paddler. It’s nice and wide. Lots of us had a child that would be sitting in front, and that’s the board they suggested. It was great, very stable even with my daughter sitting on the front.

After paddling around near where we put the boards in for about 15 minutes my daughter decided she could handle her own board, so I gave her that one and tried their SUPLove boards. Loved it! It’s narrower than the beginner board I bought so it is SO easy to steer and paddle! When I have the money put away for a second board this is definitely one I’ll look at.

Anyways, back to the tour. The gentleman who owns the business has his sons guide the tours. They started out with a quick lesson – how to hold the paddle, how to get on the board, just the very basics. After paddling around the immediate area long enough for everyone to get comfortable we headed to Three Sister Springs in hope of seeing some manatees. We toured 2 of the three springs, but no luck with manatees. The springs themselves were well worth the trip though. Absolutely beautiful! People were swimming in the springs, but I am way too much of a cold wimp so I just chilled on the board and enjoyed the scenery.

We headed back after checking out 2 of the 3 springs. The group spread out pretty far as we paddled back. My daughter and I were lucky enough to see a group of manatees on our way back. There were at least 5 of them, since it was in the bay instead of the springs it was hard to tell how many. Unfortunately we were pretty close to the end of the group and the wind had picked up enough to make staying in one spot a challenge so we didn’t get any pictures or stay to watch them too long. It was a little frustrating finally seeing them and being too far from the group to let anyone else know!

I would definitely go back and do this again. Some friends and I am planning a camping trip in the area, if it’s after Manatee Paddle opens in June we will most likely head over to rent some boards from them! We were told that the best time to see manatees in the area is in the winter months when they like to go to the springs because they are warmer than the bay. Seeing the manatees is obviously a plus, but Manatee Paddle is worth the trip even when they are not there, just for the fun and the incredible scenery.

No more excuses!

It’s painfully apparent reading this blog I am horrible at keeping a schedule. I have lots of things to blame it on – I’m tired, the kids, the dogs, the lightning outside, the list go on and on. But the number one thing that honestly messes me up is my work schedule. It can be anywhere from 8-5 to 11-8pm depending on the week.

Plus, work is an hour and a half from my house. That’s 3 hours a day, 15 hours a week just spent sitting in my car. Geez, seeing it in writing is just sad.

In a couple of weeks that will be all over! I start a new job less than 40 minutes from the house, and it will mostly be 8-5 every week! That is over an hour a day gained plus the same schedule every week! That’s a lot of exclamation points, but I’m pretty excited to be gaining all that time. I’m going to have to get in the habit of actually cooking dinner and eating it with my kids. What a concept!

I’m really excited about this but I am also a little nervous. I’ve blamed my changing schedule for my lack of structure the last few years, so now that it is no longer an excuse I’m going to have to step it up.

So, I start the new job in a week, but then in two weeks go out of town for some training. No way I’m sticking to a running schedule in a strange town by myself. But after that it’s all bets off and no more excuses. Time to sign up for a half marathon and get to it!