Theory of Relativity

One of many things Sharon and I talked about during the course of our 18-mile run yesterday is the relativity of athleticism, goals, etc. I was feeling a bit of a slacker since I skipped the Thursday morning TRIgirl run and then missed the Saturday bike ride. (I could write a few pages about the utter delight of sleeping in, however!)
One way I justified missing the ride is that it was *only* 18 miles, nothing compared to the 40-mile rides we'd done in preparation for Naylor's. Plus, the only tri I have left this season is a sprint with a 12-mile ride. I find myself thinking, "Cake."
Someone told me a couple of days ago that I'm more athletic than most people. I was mid-denial when I realized that he was probably right. I'm not as athletic as Ironman finishers or Olympic gymnasts or even others on my team. In the course of missing those two TRIgirl workouts, I took three rest days in a row. I felt a little bad about that until I realized my totals for the week included 27 miles of running, 14 miles of biking, over 5000 yards of swimming, and two hours of strength training.
For someone who couldn't run a mile three years ago, that's not half bad!

I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed in the last week with schoolwork--teaching a new class, reading & commenting on endless stacks of student writing. I read Iron Wil's blog comments about the new course plans she developed, the degrees she completed, etc., and I thought wow, she does all this AND trained for Ironman. Kate and Anna are ready to sign up for Florida in 2007. Not me.

But I did register for Eagleman 70.3, TRIgirls' "official" half-Iron distance for next year. And I did show up for three workouts in the last two days. And I did teach my classes. And I did spend time with friends. And I might even grade a portfolio or two, just don't pressure me.