Inertia

I expected a certain amount of inertia to deal with at first, and know there will be more exposed that is currently hidden neatly in the folds of my life habits.

So far, I love the increased activity. And I'm obsessed with paddling now. Seriously. I think about it constantly, read about it online, and am reading another book on it for my review later this month. Enthusiasm is not the problem.

The nature of my physical involvement has been more haphazard.  I need a consistent schedule for exercise. December has gone by without me planning my winter exercise schedule like I had hoped. Time gets filled in effortlessly when we don't make our own plans. Another truism: Everything takes longer than anticipated.

I'm finally starting to see a plan taking shape. In the hiking world, there are mountains that are less esthetically pleasing than others because they are just mounds. The hike isn't technically challenging, in fact it's a bit boring. People sometimes describe the hike as "a slog" to get to the top. I've read paddlers and sailors refer to pushing into the wind as "beating" into the wind. That's how it feels to fight inertia.

It's also part of the journey. A distance race, with the occasional (or constant) beating into the wind is a microcosm of what my greater journey entails. And I have to remember to enjoy the challenge of the path as well as the destination.

Even as I take little steps I can see the landscape changing for me permanently: greater awareness; joy in the challenge; being involved in something so big. I'm also learning a lot. To quote an acquaintance,  I'm organizing my ignorance so that I know how to proceed. And it's exciting.

I'll start letting you in on the research side of things more this month.

Happy New Year

So much is percolating in my head right now!

I hope all of you have exciting plans in the making for some point in your life, and that you start taking little steps towards achieving your goal.

You don't have to do much- just be consistent and move in that direction, and you will be within reach eventually. Plan out a rough time-line and pick one thing to do to move you closer to doing it. Then do one little, tiny, easy thing a week, or a month. BUT DO IT.

A friend offered the use of her inflatable canoe to paddle this summer and it sent my spirits soaring. Of course that's not what I'll race in, but the wonderful security of knowing there is a boat I can use while researching and finding something I can afford draws a smile to my face every time I think of it.

I know what you're saying. "An inflatable canoe? On the windy Front Range?! That sounds terrible!"

On the contrary! It's perfect! What better way to train for the elements than to welcome them any chance I get? I can't practice surfing the boat or riding ocean swells, but I can sure as heck get used to chop and white caps! I fantasize about paddling out to the middle of Boulder Reservoir and just holding my place in the middle of the lake, paddling into the wind for as long as I like to get a long workout, never having to worry about running out of water- the wind will give me unlimited opportunity. I can test what cruising speed looks like and mix it with short sprints towards the shore, then let the wind push me back out. What a great workout! Then I can practice going perpendicular to the wind... oh, the things that warm my heart!

I miss being in a boat so much I can taste it. I can't wait.

What's that? I'll be sore? Heh. Yes. That's the point. I used to train hard when I climbed a lot, and was always sore. That's the best kind of pain! I would practice tai chi until I was shaking and sweating- which is easier to achieve than you might think. I look forward to engaging my body in this way. Not to be graphic, but hey, I've delivered two babies from this body, the last one born at home with midwives in attendance. I trust my body to respond to the challenge, and I'm ready for this!

Welcome 2010! Let's dance!