Little Miss Runner Pants

it took eight months. 10 or 20 blisters.... rings, bands, stools, jumps... but i've finally done it.

i am one with the bar.

after what seems like ages, i'm doing pull ups. unassisted pull ups.

and i couldn't be more proud.

friday after the WOD i stayed late to work on my form. i'd graduated to jumping pull ups a few weeks before and felt like ya know what!!?! i'm ready for more!!

i moved back up to the big kid bar (i'd been working on the solo bar in the back for um.. height reasons!) and between my new found oompf and 0%'s genius in wrapping the bar... i finally got it.

i grabbed... i kipped... and somehow, it still doesn't even make sense... but i flew.

(well. in relative terms. you should see what these looked like a few months ago!)

but i mean... i flew!

0% and i knew this was history in the making so we whipped out my camera and took a few shots for posterity. by the time we got the camera out i'd been going for a while so i'll admit.. they look a little skimpy.

i sort of flail. a lot. and i'm pretty sure my ass is under magnification its so... commanding (yeah thats right. baby got back!).... but, i finally got it.

i got mad ups.

and you know me...i just had to share!

0% and i decided this was a good jumping off point to mark my progress so we took some pics, the video, of course, and plan on tracking my... well...

morphing-ization into total domination!

HUZZAH!

Posted by a.maria at 06:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (16) | TrackBacks (0)

ok, well.... that was just stupid ridiculous.

*ahem*

last night, on the advice of 0% guy.. knower of all things tri... i headed to the pool with one thing in mind.

head. positioning.

lately, whenever i try and breathe, my arms sort of convulse, i pull my head too far outta the water, i forget where i'm at in my stroke and... i lose my glide. instead of slicing through the water, i sort of...

sink.

and its really making the whole finding of a rhythm thing rather difficult.

0% guy, having never seen me swim (i'mnotbitter) decided the problem i'm having stems from poor head positioning, and that to fix it, i need to do a few over-exaggerated one armed swimming drills.

..................... ** blank stare ** ........................

so apparently, its as simple as this....

swim on your side, with one arm extended. keep your ear pressed up against your arm/shoulder area, pull with your remaining arm and...

i dunno. SWIM.

"really concentrate on rotating your body and getting your belly button to face the wall. you'll feel like you're going to flip over on your back... but you wont."

right.

so. head positioning.

yeah, .. um. the thing about that ??! SHIT DONT WORK!

swimming? with one arm? on my side? and breathing? while keeping my head to my ear?

ha! um....

NO.

first things first... i was instructed to use the pull buoy. that way i don't have to worry about my butt sinking or the kick.. i was really just supposed to concentrate on my head. so i situate the buoy, goggles on, arm out... and... push off.

i went exactly nowhere. i didn't even make it to the middle of the pool. by my second attempt to pull, while on my side, and my ear on my arm, i was so confused and completely unable to breathe that i started to laugh, lost my pull buoy, sort of forgot what i was trying to do, half kick doggie paddled and finally had to stop, stand, and readjust so as not to drown.

what then followed was... more of the same.

except with the added bonus of... over rotation.

you know how 0% guy told me i wouldn't flip over on my back? that it'd just feel like i was going to!?

yeah um. well. in my case, wouldn't flip was more of a will flip, and the whole one armed swimming things, was....

not working out so well.

after a few hundred yards i completely gave up. i could not for the life of me figure out how to keep my ear on my arm and breathe at the same time, i had to use a paddle if i wanted to go anywhere, and every two or three strokes i was having to morph into a very unfortunate one armed back stroke-rotate back on my side-all while holding onto my pull buoy- situation that was...

as i said before...

stupid ridiculous.

i don't even want to get into the looks i was getting from the amazingly attractive swimmer in the lane next to me who i'm *sure* assumed i'd fallen off the short bus.

*sigh*

before i started all this, i kinda secretly thought swimming might come naturally to me. you know.. untapped genius of the water. real sort of swimming fantasmo. michael phelps ain't got nuthin on my sh*t, sort of shark like precise swimming!?

yeah.. turns out, maybe not.

who knew!?

Posted by a.maria at 07:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (14) | TrackBacks (0)

alright folks... i have an injury to report.

it is.... my ankle. and it hurts. i've ignored it for long enough... its time to search for a cure.





left ankle. you can't *totally* tell, but the dotted line is where the swelling begins

here's the sitch.
about a month ago i started to notice a sort of bruisey feel on the outside part of my left ankle. i hadn't done anything to it, specifically, so i figured i must have randomly twisted it at some point and that the discomfort would just... go away.

a few weeks later, however... it hadn't. i had my bi-monthly massage coming up... (i know, right?! bi-monthly. sometimes it really does pay to live alone, be single, and have disposable income. remind me of that next time i start complaining that i'm lonely, k!?!)

any-hoo. i talked to Massage Guy, who has magical healing powers that he's put to good use on 0%, and hoped a good working of my ankle, shin, calf, leg type area might... i dunno. fix it.

it didn't.

in the past few weeks its only gotten worse. my range of motion um... SUCKS. its swollen, and the bruise feeling is sort of just... constant.





see? right ankle, fine. left ankle... .no bendy bendy.

so. what have i done to fix it?! nothing.

ice? no.
heat? no.
poke and prod it repeatedly to make sure it still hurts? yes.

yeah. i might not be the model patient. and.. its getting worse. the past week's over-abundance of athletic activity, running, biking, swimming, crossfit... times two... has not been helpful, and today, for the first time, just walking around barefoot even hurts.

i'm at a loss for what to do.

i don't really feel like going to a doctor is necessarily going to get me anywhere. i didn't do anything, it just started hurting. i thought it might be that i needed new running shoes but i bought some and.... no change.

er, well. no change for the better.

K-State Guy suggested maybe it was just an over-use thing, but... that means that i need to just lay off it for a while and... i don't like that idea. i'm enjoying training right now. and what doesn't use feet, ya know!? i'll be relegated to my couch and i'll gain 100 pounds.

that is not an option.

i tried WebMD but all they came up with is a blood clot in my leg, cellulitis, gout, lyme disease, hematoma or pregnancy.

pfffft. yeah right. if i know anything, i know it ain't that.

so, i'm at a loss. i'm taking today off but have rather active plans for the rest of the week and... the ankle doesn't really hurt when i'm doing anything except sitting indian style, so... i can't decide what i should do.

Posted by a.maria at 11:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (15) | TrackBacks (0)

mission assignment: du at doo without the poo

mission profile: complete the Heritage Park Duathlon distance with no bowel movements

mission update: accomplished

estimated mission timing: two hours

mission reward: tan lines and a nap

it was a good day, my people.... a good day.

Posted by a.maria at 11:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

the first annual MINI DU at LAKE DOO DOO was held yesterday at Heritage Park with all my favorite tri-friends.

0% was there. Banker Chick. Really Tall Chick and MU Girl. Good At Everything Girl of course made an appearance as well as Babysitter Girl.... and then there was me.

resident runner pants extraordinare.

it was a good, really fun group of girls. the split was almost 50/50 for newbies and old pros, and although i did have a few jitters in the beginning, i was mostly excited for our fun little du-venture.

we started out across the dam, 0% giving us an idea of what its like when 600 people crowd together on a small lane of road. apparently the triathlon and the duathlon start at the same time, so immediately i had images of myself being passed by a bunch of wet people smelling like goose poo.

(incidentally, for those not familliar with Heritage Park, its... gross. the lake, or... pond rather, is full... CHALK FULL, of goose poo. you can smell it just standing in the parking lot. its disgusting. and very well known.

hence the reason so many of us choose to make heritage a DUathlon, rather than a TRI.)

like i said, images of goose poo smeared athletes running past me in a wave of stink filled my mind and... i definitely grimmaced a bit.

you'll just have to be fast. you'll have to be super fast. and just beat them all. you can do that. um... no problem!

the group started out at a reasonable pace. the idea was to run/bike/run the course, and our first leg called for a 2-mile run.

keeping in mind that the midwest had a burst of winter activity these past few weeks... i haven't run in. well... a while.

somehow, amazingly enough, i was able to keep up with the group and was rewarded by a bit of a side stitch, but nothing major. by the end of our run i knew two things...

that wasn't as bas as it could have been

and...

i really need to work on my run!

after our quasi-somewhat-sorta transition (that involved me losing the clicker to my car, scrambling for keys and having to take a time-out to put pig-tails in, which prompted someone, i'm guessing MU girl, to say "if you're still in transition at this point... thats bad". *ahem*)... we were off!

and this is kind of where things started to sort of um... fall apart.

immediately out of the park, there are hills. not long, big, gradual hills, but short, steep bursts of omg this sucks.

three of them. one right after the other.

so i??? took off. bolted. i flew down the first hill in some sort of an attempt to gain enough speed where rounding that first hill wouldn't kill me.

yeah. it didn't work.

i passed Good At Everything Girl, 0% and MU chick on the down, only to be passed by them all on the up.

@($#*%*!!

i hate the bike.

down... up. pass... get passed. down.. up.

up.

up.

omg, i'm never getting up this hill..... EVER!

and just as soon as the hills began, they ended. i was back in the park, biking up a false flat, and the suck-ti-tude was over. i was now by far the last one sucking wind through the park and was slowly realizing...

um. i sorta gotta poo.

NOT. GOOD.

my stomach started cramping up. my pace slowed way down, and i knew i was in trouble.

half way through the park though, it all sort of went away. i thought it had passed, and i was in the clear. at just about the point where we exit the park for loop two, i caught up to the group and was ready to go again.

hills, hills, and more hills.

but my legs were spent. i didn't have near the gusto i had in the beginning, having blown my entire load on that first go-round, and by the time i got back into the park, i really wasn't feeling well.

i mistakenly thought water would be helpful at the time, took a swig, and then dropped the bottle while trying to get it back in the cage.

ohhhh son of a @#*)$%(#$)!!!

and from that point on, it was just one piercing cramp after another.

sadly to say... i DNF'd the DU at DOO DOO. the other girls went ahead and finished a third loop, ran another few miles and completed the adventure.

i.. on the other hand... did not. instead i found a bathroom, then curled up in my car, and awaited their return.

it wasn't pleasant. 0% hung back from the run and made sure i stayed alive and eventually i was feeling.... almost normal.

all in all... it wasn't so bad. it was a training day, and thats what training is for. all the good, all the bad... all the poopy stuff comes out in training. saturday Really Tall Chick and i plan on doing it again, and by the time the actual DU at DOO DOO rolls around, i'm certain i'll be ready.

the first annual mini du at lake doo doo was complete. and regardless of anything else.. i survived. and thats definitely a step in the right direction!





runner pants and 0% after the doo






the doo doo crew

Posted by a.maria at 07:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (12) | TrackBacks (0)

i decided last night, as i was walking around the grocery store that i... kinda liked going gluten free.

i felt healthier. my body felt lighter. it required a lot of work, and cooking, and was more expensive than your typical processed, sort of normal american food diet, but...

it worked for me. so.. why not?

as i rounded the "healthy" section of the grocery store (i.e. food-snob section, as i used to think of it. still kind of think of it, actually...) i found a shelf full of gluten-free bread, and the idea of still being able to have a sandwich now and again really perked me up.

i weighed my options, made a command decision, cursed the $4.50 price tag, picked up my white rice loaf of um... "bread".. and went on my way.

when i got home, after unloading the goods, the first thing i did was make a delicious ham/turkey sandwich. full of flavor and sandwichy goodness.

it?! was gross.

yeah. um. if they're going to charge that kind ofmoney for fake bread, they should try not to make it taste like cardboard.

yuck. i don't recommend it.

Posted by a.maria at 09:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

ok kids. i know i've already mentioned this once on here, but..

THIS SUNDAY OUR GYM IS HAVING AN OPEN HOUSE AT 9AM AND 10AM AND YOU'RE INVITED!!

seriously, i can't speak enough about how much i love this gym, and i *know* if you come, you'll have a good time!

hell, there's even food and cake (yes. those are two different things) for after! you know you wanna!

in other news...

a few days ago i sent out an email to some of my tri-friends. i mentioned that i really need to get my race schedule in shape, that the first race i'll be doing will be a du, and how... i might be a little nervous about it.

0% chick, in her infinite wisdom, in order to calm my nerves, suggested we meet at the park tomorrow, where the race will be, so i can practice the bike portion.

great idea, right!?

right.

except then she figured it'd be a good idea to run before the ride, cuz... thats what a du is.

and then maybe we can run a bit afterwards too.

just to get some transition experience.

*blank stare. blank stare. blank stare.*

so what she's saying is... why don't we run. then bike for a bit. and then... run again.

i'm sorry, isn't that, in fact, a duathlon... RIGHT THERE!!?!!?

yes in fact it is. which means...

tomorrow, i'm basically doing a du.

i've not yet decided how i feel about this... but the words oh sh*t and bugger bugger come to mind.

should be good times right?

right. good times.

have i mentioned i love 0% chick? oh yeah... she's my reeeeal favorite!

sheesh.

Posted by a.maria at 08:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

it is.

beautiful.

outside.

its gorgeous. and i haven't been able to say that about the weather in almost two weeks. this is major.

this is spring. and i am SO. READY!

being that its mid-april and my first race has been pushed back to something like May 20th, i now have ample time to plan, and i think its about time i verbalized my goals.

(oh, but first... MY NEW CAR! i look um... tiny. either that or my car is GIANT. one of the two.. )

GOAL #1: legit pull-ups, June 1st.

i've been working, hard, toward this goal for some 8 months. i've come a long, long way, and i know i can do it, and have it be real, with just a few more weeks work. so that's my first mission.

my second goal is my first race. the Heritage Park Duathlon which consists of 2 mile run, followed by a 11.5 mile bike, and a 3 mile run.

i know that might sound easy. i know that might sound like, pffft. she's got it. no problem. but there are some serious hills. and this'll be my first official multi-sport event. ever.

to say i'm a little nervous would be a huge understatement. so....

GOAL #2: Heritage Park Du --- just finish! (and maybe not be the last one in!!?!) May 20th.

i need to start running. its something i've started to enjoy again, but am having trouble finding time for on a regular basis. so...

GOAL #3: run to *and from* crossfit at least once a week (3.5 mi each way), and start sunday runs with Really Tall Chick this weekend. mileage TBD.
(and buy new shoes. this week. cuz otherwise i think my shins might actually morph into rusty razor blades and kill me in my sleep.

i'm just sayin...)

ok, weight wise.... and i know this is a hot-topic, but... i'm currently running around with, according to Tanita (the skanky ho.) 133.8 pounds of some sort of mixture of fat and muscle. granted this is several.... as in many... pounds lighter than i was LAST summer, when i felt all svelte and chic... but i'd like to see that number drop.

GOAL #4: 128lbs and holding steady by the end of the summer.

holding steady being key.

okay what else?
the swim.

this is an interesting one. i plan on doing two, if not three triathlons this summer. none of which have a swim distance of more than 500m so i'm sort of unsure how to prepare for this. do i swim more and more and more, or try and get my 500m faster and faster and faster? or is that the same thing?

dunno. either way...

GOAL #5: swim two days a week and work up to swimming 300m sets by my first triathlon. June 3rd or 16th. not sure which yet. (ok seriously i need to get that worked out. that should be like, goal # 1a.)

and last, but not least... the bike.

the beast.

i am still just so not comfortable with this thing yet. the problem is to get better, i have to ride. and i've become some sort of an expert in finding reasons why, huh. i think i have plans tonight. guess i just can't ride!! so.

GOAL #6: ride. my bike. --- PERIOD! i've got group rides on tuesdays, thursdays and sundays. it scares me to death, but my goal is to, by the first week of may, be in a routine where i ATTEND THEM ALL. all summer long.

(i'm going to hate this goal in about 3 weeks.)

and i think thats it.

or well, thats not it, but... thats all i can think of. for now anyway. so to recap (this is more for me than for you. you can be done reading now. i know this gets boring!)

GOALS:
pull-ups -- June 1
heritage park du -- May 20
run to/from gym and sundays -- all summer, to begin this week. (groooooooooan.)
128#s -- end of summer
swim 2x's a week, 300m sets -- mid-June
ride my vachockta bike -- just... ever.

yeah. i think that works.

right. so... i guess i'll just go get started on that then, huh!!?!

Posted by a.maria at 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (14) | TrackBacks (0)

nothing in my life goes smoothly.

nothing.

ever.

something always happens. something good, something stupid, something silly, it's no matter. something always happens.

and my first car buying experience is no different.

the day started off pretty well. after some in-the-mirror pep talks (i live alone. i am my own support system. don't judge me!) i hopped in my Car. Of. Death. and got on my way. the dealership was, if i read the map correctly, just a mere 10-15 minutes away and i thought.. hey! no problem!

half an hour later i was making my third U-Turn in nowheres-ville seriously contemplating going home because what in the @^$! where IS this place?! HELLOOOOO!!! its a car dealership. its not as though it should be hard to find!!?!?

at that i decided to stop at the gas station to ask for directions. as i was about to pull into the lot i noticed this itsy bitsy little sign in front of this, um... very small house-turned-office situation with a bunch of cars in the parking lot next to it.

omg. its right here. i'm an idiot....

immediately i saw my car. Nissan Pathfinder. 2001. it was calling my name. i composed myself, held my head high, walked into the.... office-thing... and said, with my best grown up voice, "HI!!! i'd like to test drive one of your cars!"

the guy on the phone smiled, said "Seller Guy will be right with you", and i had to keep myself from jumping up and down like a little girl. i was doing it! step one was complete! and i didn't mess it up!

success!!!!

Seller Guy turned out to be a pretty nice guy and after going over the car with me, i asked once again if i could test drive the car.

"sure, no problem" -- and he hopped right in.

ohhhh bugger bugger. he wasn't supposed to be coming with me!!?!? NOW what do i do?!

after explaining to him that i'd be much more comfortable NOT being watched while i drive (my Car. Of. Death is a manual. New Car is an automatic. i felt weird enough as it was) we worked out that i could take the car for a few hours he just made sure that i understood the Dealership Plate was magnetic, so if i stopped in to McDonalds or some such place, i'd just need to take the plate in with me because they needed it back.

who the hell goes to mcDonalds on a test drive?! uhhh, yeah. got it. no problem.

and away i went.

0% girl and guy live about 25 minutes from the dealership and being that they do know what the hell they're doing when it comes to buying a car, i planned on swinging by their place, having 0% guy take a look, and just get another pair of eyes on the thing before making my decision.

its a nice car. nice. black leather interior, its got a moon roof, temperature and compass... seat warmers!, 6-disc CD changer... for me?! its bliss (i'm easily pleased), and i was glad to hear the 0%'s gave their approval.
at the same time, though... i just wasn't sure. i didn't know if i was really driving my next new car.

i felt like i needed a sign.

as i drove back to the dealership, thinking it over in my mind, i heard this... weird... metal banging sound.

what the?!!--

i looked in my rear view mirror and just as i looked up, the license plate... the one Seller Guy told me to make sure i didn't lose...

it up and FLEW off of my car, into traffic, along I-435.

a major highway.

ohhhhhh f**************************************uck.

and i burst into laughter. high, pitchy, nervous laughter.

this cannot be happening. this cannot be happening. this cannot be happening.

the car behind me swerved out of the way of the plate, it hit the ground, bounced around, and every car behind me then seemed to drive, just.. right over it.

O. M. G.

i was in such a state of shock and hysteria i wasn't sure exactly what i should do. go back and get it? leave it? show up without it? act like i didn't know? tell them what happened? maybe Seller Guy will come back with me and we'll get it? maybe... omg what if they charge me for it? what if they wont deal with me because i lost their plate!? omg what am i gunna do.

WHAT AM I GOING TO DO.

hys. teria.

i called 0% chick, laughing, uncontrollably, and explained my situation. there was a turn around point between the highways that, if i wanted, i could probably go back... park.. and then. you know..

dart out in the middle of major highway traffic, grab the license plate, get back in my car and pray it all works out.

0% chick, between laughter, agreed ... "well, you could. people die doing things like that, but..."

YES THANK YOU! very well aware! not making me feel better!

"... you probably don't want to show up without it so... "

well fantastic. now i really have no choice DO i?!

we hung up the phone, i got off at the next exit, turned back around, and went to hunt for my rogue plate.

this is not going to end well. this is not going to end well. how do i get into these kinds of situations? this is not going to end well.

and i couldn't stop laughing. somewhere along the way i decided well. there's my sign. this thing's obviously perfect for me. i've been driving not 2 hours and adventure number one is WELL on its way...

finally i got to my turn around place. i pulled off I-435 South and drove into the median thing, facing I-435 North.

right. so now i'll just... go find my plate.

right.

i got out of my car, pulled my coat around me, and made my way.

i had no idea how far down it would be. it was muddy, the grass was tall, i was dodging one huge muddy puddle after another... oh yes, there. look. isn't that nice. a dead skunk!

and i think i'll just step OVER that....

it was....

well.

ridiculous really. there is no other word to be used. ridiculous.

eventually, i saw my plate. it was laying there. in the middle lane, looking very.... flat.

so now its a waiting game. on-coming cars going at least 75mph. no big deal. WHOAAA truck. okay. right. just run out, dodge cars, don't trip...

and grab the plate. run, grab, run. i can do this.

i waited until it seemed like there were no cars coming. mostly. and.... off i went. RUN RUN RUN, bend down, pick up, turn around, RUN RUN RUN.

ha! sweet. and i didn't die.

as i made my way back to my car i noticed a big blue minivan parked next to it. huh. what's this? is she checking out my car? what is she doing?

i slowly, carefully made my way back. laughing all the way, just sort of shaking my head at my crazy life when i finally came up to the car.

the lady, now in her minivan, rolled down the window...

"hi. are you alright?"
"me?! ohh, yeah. um. ha ha ha. laughter. yeah, i'm just test driving this car. the license plate flew off the back, see, and i just thought i should go get it, so... "

she looked at me. judging my sanity i assumed, and then, deciding i was telling the truth, kind of laughed, and "ha! ohhhh, okay. well thats good. yeah... i was just driving along and i saw you kind of bundled up walking along that highway and i thought you were drunk, so... "

"HA! oh.. um. no. i'm not drunk. i promise! ha. no.. um. i'm just... you know... test driving this car."

"well alright. good luck."

and off she went.

*sigh*

drunk. of course. why wouldn't i be?

amazingly, i made it back in one piece. i talked to Seller Guy, we haggled, i won, and what seemed like an eternity and several signed forms later... i was done.

driving home, in my very own new car.

it was one helluva day, and i? was one happy chica.



the highway i darted across... down closer to the bridge. it was a bit of a hike. (in heels no less.)





the plate. bent, flattened, but firmly in my possession!

Posted by a.maria at 11:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (19) | TrackBacks (0)

i went to bed last night completely convinced that i had this in the bag.

i was gunna go in there and ROCK the car buying experience. i'd test drive. i'd haggle. i'd buy.

cheese.

childplay.

this morning, however, i'm feeling.... a tad bit less confident than i once was. between my hair, my make up, my mascara being completely lost and having to use my clumpy gross needs to be thrown away tube... do i wear red, for power?! blue, so i'm calm? yellow, cuz i'm so friendly!?

no. BLACK. cuz its slimming.

i have entirely too many things to think of. and all the conversations i'm having with myself in the mirror... "hi!! i'd like to take a car for a test drive... no. i'd like to take THIS car for a test drive...

HEY! how are you!!!?! good.. cool.. i'd like to test drive a car today!"

it's not going well. i have no idea what i'm doing. i wouldn't even cut me a deal, i'm such a putz.

moments ago i got on mapquest to figure how to get to where i'm going, and thats when it started.

my stomach.

and the gurgles.

i get them when i'm nervous. i get them before dates i'm really looking forward to, meetings with my boss. i get them before races and that time between landing and getting off the plane when going to visit certain people. i get the gurgles.

and today, somehow.. i have to shake them off.

i keep practicing a "confident but friendly" looking face in the mirror. somehow it always involves tucking my hair behind my ear.

have i mentioned i have no idea what i'm doing!?!

ooh yeah. i have the gurgles. but its 9:30, and i want to get this done today. so somehow, today, in the rain, i have to muster up the grown-up in me and git'er dun.

*ahem*

"hi there! .. hi. hello. i'd like to test drive a car today. . . . please.!?!"

oh shit.

here goes nuthin...

Posted by a.maria at 08:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

well, for those of you wondering if i've stablized yet... returned to normal functioning condition and what not...

meh. its a toss-up. really kinda depends on what hour of the day we're talkin' here.

BUT. i'm almost there.

today.. this afternoon.. in a few hours.. i'm heading to the bank. i'm going to get (i hope) pre-approved for a loan type situation and will then, tomorrow, in our grotesquely winter-like weather... go test drive my vehicle of choice.

have i ever bought a car?! --- no.
do i know the first thing about buying a car?! --- no.
am i taking anyone along with me who DOES know the first thing about buying a car?! -- no.
do i foresee any way in which this might go wrong?! --- yes.
am i doing it anyway?! --- darn tootin.

as if i would *ever* consider otherwise.

should be good times. good times, in this case, meaning --- a time in which i will probably more than likely have a very large cow, hyperventilate and/or burst out into nervous laughter.

i can't wait to meet the sales guy!!

in other news, last night 0% bodyfat girl and guy, banker girl and i went up to The Fit Pit to make-up wednesday's workout.

it? was a doozy.

400m row
300 jump rope (as in count your jumps. do you have any idea how difficult that is?)
20 box jump

4 rounds.

what that basically means is i rowed a mile, jumped 1200 times and... AND... i box jumped onto a 24" box EIGHTY TIMES.

why? because i RULE!!!!!!!!!!!!! (oh yeah thats right. i said it. I AM THE RULER OF ALL THINGS BOXY!)

afterwards we determined not only am i the ruler of all things boxy, but also? i am the champion of no longer needing the assistance of a strap for the ever longed for PULL UP!

thats right baby. I'VE GONE STRAPLESS! and i wear it oh so well.

this weekend, due to weather, the duathlon ain't so much happenin. instead i plan on buying a car. buying new shoes. going swimming. going running (indoors, of course) and hopefully going OUT.

i have a feeling saturday's buying frenzy might need to be followed up by liquor. and copius amounts of flirting with random boys at a yet to be decided bar.

i'm looking forward to it. not gunna lie.

anyway, thats about all i have for the week. sorry for the lack of posts lately, hopefully next week will bring warmer weather, new cars and some qualtiy blogging fodder!

Posted by a.maria at 10:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

so...major breakdown freak-out much?

umm... OKAY!!

*sigh*

today's been a day. it still is a day, and damn if i don't entirely know how to handle it.

this past weekend, easter weekend, i went home to the lou. easter is one of my absolute most favorite holidays, has been for ages, and woe be the only child who does not venture home for such an occasion. my mom would've killed me!

this weekend was also, however.... tax weekend. and car weekend. house weekend. dog weekend. ira weekend, savings account, nest egg and credit union weekend, and i??

am. exhausted.

2007, from the get-go, has been... because i have declared it so.... my year. and so far?! so good. i'm loving it. and its been going phenomenally, fantastically well.

but its only april... and the year, quite apparently, has only just begun.

for those of you that don't know me... or that haven't quite picked it up in my various blog ramblings... i. ladies and gentleman....

am a commitment phobe.

down deep to the core of my soul, i am scared of forever. and where normally i play into this fear by moving every few months, squashing relationships before they have a chance to squash me and rent rent rent... never own..

that whole scheme just isn't uh... working. anymore.

but i so want it too!!

in an attempt to somehow curb the inevitable realization that i am, in fact, becoming an adult, this weekend... after sitting down with my parents and talking it all through... i decided to plan.

i would just plan it out. there would be a plan. i would make a plan, i would stick to the plan, and this whole commit to a car, house, animal, potential life in kansas city that lasts longer than orginally intended thing... it would all be fine.

nay... good!

it was my plan. and it involved, little, tiny, baby like steps.

invest some money...
then wait a few months.

buy a car...
then wait a few months.

get a dog. a *gulp* house.... but

you know....

wait a few months.

it was a good plan. great! until...

today.

this morning after talking to HR, i made a visit to my local banking establishment, sat down with a banker lady type chick, and enacted step one.

retirement plan.

bank talk bank talk bank talk... pick a plan.... pick a price... bank talk bank talk bank talk oh holy shit i'm really doing this bank talk...

done! sweet. that wasn't so bad??!?!

step two --- get an oil change. i want to hold onto my car for a while (remember!!?! wait a few months!!) so i figured i better get on that whole maintenance thing.

ooooh, plan. how you have failed me so.

the oil change went something like this..

"yeah.. so that noise you were hearing..." (i'd been hearing a noise.) "... yeah, that noise is your exhaust pipe.

it seems to have completely rust through. it's... like... not even attached. it's pretty bad."

HA!!! haa haa.. ha. *ahem* @%$#^%#%$#@$# i have no idea what this means.

**blank stare... blank stare...**

"and uh.. also??!?! you seem to have some sort of oil leak. we don't know where it's coming from, but... there's some moisture, so... we know its there. so you might wanna take a look at that.."

right.. right. good. thank you, thanks.

no, really. yeah... thanks for that.

after taking a moment to compose myself...this is not something to freak out about. you can handle this... this is no big deal. YOU STILL HAVE THE PLAN i went to visit mister muffler man.

after confiding, i don't know... maybe a little too much.."well you see, the thing is i'm thinking of getting a new car. i mean i'm planning on it. i just wasn't really necessarily going to do it like.. NOW, but you know... i mean so what do you suggest? i could pay for this, but do i need to? can it wait? what do you think.

tell me everything you know."

what can i say. i'm a friendly gal.
*ahem*

anyway.

basically... i need a car, oh i dunno... yesterday. mister muffler man informed me that he can jimmy-rig it... maybe... he can fix it... or, if i want to get a new car, i can let it go...

"but i wouldn't wait more than like a week or two at the most. you're exhaust pipe's completely rusted through. you're probably getting some carbon monoxide leak into your car.

and you might die."

i....... W-H-A-T!!?!?!?!

m'hmm, yeah. oh he said it, thats right... I COULD DIE. and death is never good, thats really not even an option for me right now, so...

i got back in my car. (of death.)... i rolled down all my windows... and breakdown freak-out mode... well lets just say....

it had begun.

after work, and after my 600 yard quick jaunt in the pool, i headed to crossfit. my safe haven. my place of fun, carefree, stress-free, just.... health. and joy. and just goodness.

until... garbled conversation-conversation -duathlon --saturday --gardner.

wtf? whuu? what??

DUATHLON.
SATURDAY.

GARDNER.

and i sort of i dunno... lost it.

something about it all being so real. the retirement plan was in action.. suddenly i'm frantically searching for a car, i'm worrying about being poisoned to death by my own vehicle. i have to go back to the bank to get financing, i barely know what that even means... i'm calculating rates, i'm using percentages (and i'm an art student people. THIS DOES NOT COME EASILY TO ME!)...

it was a long day. and to add to the mayhem, now i've got a race this weekend, my first not-just-one-sport-race... i've got running and biking and transitions to think of. i have multiple hours of athletics to plan for. i have nutrition to think about, i need to go buy new shoes because i've been putting that off, i don't even know where gardner is and yeah no problem.

kick me while i'm down, why don'cha!?!?!

like i said... its been a long day. and probably normally, under any other circumstances, any of these things... alone... i could handle.

no big deal.

but just something about the way they hit. something about coming home to an empty apartment. no one to talk to, no one to call. nobody to ask whats wrong. how's it goin. you can do it, i'm there for you, we'll get through it...

something about it being all me. all the time...

it was all just too much.

and for a moment... er. well... a few...

i just broke.

the upside, however, is... i'm resilient. i'm a go-getter. i'm, HEY!.. i'm me! i can do this... (i have to do this) and really in the end... its not all so bad. i haven't yet been poisoned by my death-mobile. in a few weeks i'll be living it up in a new ride and um..

yeah. its five days till saturday. thats um... thats LOTS of time! so this whole run from here to eternity, bike back, uphill, all the way, turn around and run again.

on your head.

yeah you know.. this whole duathlon/growing up/adulthood thing.

i might even find a way to survive.

and then all i have to do is wake up the next day and do it all again.

joy.

Posted by a.maria at 09:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (19) | TrackBacks (0)

so i keep talking about crossfit, right? and all the crazy stuff we do...

boxjumps...
wallball...
pullups..
dumbbell swings..
handstand pushups...
tabata workouts...
etc..

and you're probably wondering what the toots its all about!? and maybe you wanna try it out?!

well.. if you live in the Kansas City area... here's your chance.

THE FIT PIT, our newly named, newly owned gym, is holding an Open House. everyone's invited. you, your mom, your wife/husband, your kid... come on over, try it out and have some fun.

we're sure you'll love it. and!!?! its free.

its going to be crazy wild, with two sessions, one at 9am and 10am with food, drinks, and Q&A to follow. so come join me, 0% Body Fat Guy and Girl, Tall Chick, Banker Girl and a slew of others, for a workout that'll challenge and push you to new limits!

click on the above flyer for more information!
------------------------
post edit **

bridgette here has made a good point. this is biased towards Kansas City. so for those of you that don't live in the KC MetroArea you'll want to check out this link for it will give you all of crossfit's affiliates, nation wide!

no need to thank me people... i'm here to help! ;)

Posted by a.maria at 10:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

ohhhhh.

my gosh.

i am the biggest retard ever. also the biggest dork. its 8pm friday night, i just finished dinner and i'm sitting on the floor in front of my tv watching... you guessed it... The Sound of Music.

i've only seen this move 3,476 times, have literally every word of every moment of the movie memorized and can sing and dance along with the entire cast... yet here i am. 27 years old. sitting on the floor watching like it was my first time.

what can i say. this movie was tradition in my home growing up. i just love it.
sad as it may be.

anyway... did you know Captain von Trapp was played by Christopher Plummer!?! and that these are the same. people!!!?!?!?!

HOLY MOLY PEOPLE... i had NO idea! i'm still getting over it.

its almost like the day i found out the Andy Griffith show guy was the same as the Matlock guy!

i was picking my jaw up off the floor for days. amazing.

anyway. i've got the rest of this movie to view, some packing to do, and then some sleep to get. i'm off to st. louis for Easter tomorrow morning, early early. i bid you all farewell...

so looooong, farewellllll, i hate to say good-byeee-eyeeee

*sigh*
love it.

have a fantastic easter weekend. i'll catch you on the flip side!

Posted by a.maria at 06:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (12) | TrackBacks (0)

me + free time + camera = lots of time wasted!

for whatever reason, k-state guy and i found these photos and the taking of them, to be highly entertaining.
we work for the government... we're easily amused. what can i say?

hmm. is there any food in my teeth?!!?




nope!




doo-dee-doo.....





"HEYYYY! K-State Guy!!!





hmm. what else should i take a picture of?!





OOOH! i know!!! (yup. Army Guy. as a doll. for christmas. my mom is sooooo funny.)





check out my new kicks. you're jealous. i know. (pay no mind to the carbonated beverage of choice on my desk there, eh?! i'm giving it up after lent. yes yes i know. but it's an addiction!!)




m'kay. thats it. my boss just walked back in. fun time's over...




rock on people. happy thursday.

Posted by a.maria at 12:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (19) | TrackBacks (0)

muffins?

fortune cookies?!!?!

THE NATIONAL ANTHEM!!!!!!???!?!?!?!?!?

seriously. these chicks are giving normal, sane girls like me (well. on my good days.) a bad wrap.

and what the hell's with Ohio State right now. my RETURN+ button is getting lots of action tonight. half time's almost up and andy the bachelor's still meeting random chicks.

(ok the lawyer chick? with all the eye makeup? and the boobs?

she's got to go.
same with the chick from Lawrence. she bugs. )

anyway ok. game on. my god this is a stressful night.

Posted by a.maria at 08:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (19) | TrackBacks (0)