Demian, by Hermann Hesse

So I finished reading book one on my list, Demian by Hermann Hesse.  

It details the journey of a boy that becomes a man, and follows his fate along the way.  It is, all in all, an excellent book, in my opinion, though with underlying tones of sexual confusion, which in turn ties into the mark of fate.


The book also brings up some interesting questions concerning God and the Devil, good and evil, etc...and I do so love an intellectual debate contained in a book.  


On the workout front, today is pretty much a break day.  Sunday I ran/walked my half marathon and got a great time (2.36.59).  I also made friends with a woman named Karen, helping her get her best half marathon time since she's turned 60 (she's 63).  


All of Sunday, after the half, and for a bit on Monday, my legs were very sore, and wearing heels Sunday night was obviously not a good choice (though I totally pulled it off...lol).  Fortunately for me, I had to pull covers on Monday morning at my job (I lifeguard), which required pushing with one or both legs while pulling my arms above my head (to straighten the covers).  This provided a great stretch for my quads and hamstrings, and I can't help but recommend it, for anyone that's sore.  I'd suggest placing one or both feet against a wall and replacing the cover with a resistance band, so long as you stretch your arms to full length above your head, even a bit farther back (feel free to arch your back).


Another thing that I discovered that definitively helps sore muscles is a new gel called Speed Gel.  It doesn't really warm or cool, but after about five minutes, most, if not all, of the pain is gone...and it lasts for at least four hours at a time.  I was very impressed, and also incredibly thankful.  Next time, I plan on training more, ahead of time, but just in case, I have the gel to fall back on...

With the holidays coming up, I am very excited to be going home, to my dog(s) and family.  In case I don't say it later on, Happy Holidays, and break out the lovely scented teas for the season!

My Bike Ride : Ride to Defeat ALS

I signed up in October/November to do a 25 mile bike ride to help raise money in the fight against ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease).  I raised over 600 bucks, thanks in large part to my mom's help.  Today was the day of the ride, in Largo, FL.  If any of you know what the weather was today, you'd see the joy of this ride.  It was cold, wet, long, and yet still tons of fun.  I made friends with another cyclist named Denise, and we rode together most of the way (she took off towards the end since she was much colder than I was, and just wanted to get to her car and jacket...but I definitely don't blame her, it was pretty chilly out today).


I have to say, I did not train more than once for this bike ride.  And I paid for it.  My butt is sore, and I had to really dig deep to finish those last couple of miles, but I did it.  


Tomorrow is a half-marathon in Siesta Key, FL, and I haven't trained much for this one, either...so we'll see how it goes.  If all else fails, I just want to finish it.  I'm not shooting for a PR (personal record), I'm just trying to prove to myself that I can do a half marathon on my own, without trying to race my mom and/or sister (they beat me, but I'm either going to tie them this year or beat them, I'm determined...sorry mom, but watch out for me!  Lol)


My ultimate goal is to be able to run the whole half-marathon I have coming up in March.  Failing that, I better have a personal best, for all the training that I'm gonna have to be doing for these four races (well, three, since I didn't train for this first one much).


Also, I may have roped my friend Matt into training with me for the running, so at least I'll have a partner...poor guy is gonna be running a lot...lol

Good People in Hollywood

Okay, so a lot of people hate Will Ferrell, saying he can't act, blah blah blah.  


A. He's not really trying to be a serious, hard-line actor.  His genre is comedy.  Always has been, always will.  And I love him for this.


B.  He has a lot more courage then most men (evidenced by his wearing a European speedo on Conan)


C.  He is a serious athlete and actually intentionally keeps his body a little pudgy, for comedic reasons.


D.  He tries to help people.  This latest evidence of his goodwill is really very sweet, in my opinion.  He posted that for every person that donates at least $21 for Cancer for College, they will receive three bottles of sunscreen with his picture on the front.  And for those that donate $28 dollars or more by January 4th, they will be entered to win an autographed cowbell.  http://www.crowdrise.com/scholarshipsforcancersurvivors/fundraiser/buddytheelf


This is why I love him.  This is the kind of example people in Hollywood need to be setting for their fans.  I don't care if he just has a really good publicist, or if this is really him, I approve.

I'm DONE!!!

Classes are finished for the semester, I had my last two exams today!  And I just want to say that even though I find Economics really interesting, my Intermediate Price Theory professor almost killed that for me...  Happily, that class is over, and I can move on to my next semester...hooray for my upcoming internship with Ironman!

I just wanted to use this picture as a reminder that it's a new day, in relation to school at the very least...

A new chance to shine, a new chance to find that zest for classes, etc...

So...now that I don't have classes, it means that I have more time to workout, which could also lead to burnout...so what I plan on doing is a lovely balance between working out and reading, my two favorite things to do!  I'm thinking that long workouts will be rewarded with Barnes and Noble days, and on days where I can only afford short workouts, I can do long indoor bike rides where I just sit, pedal, and read...I am such a nerd.

So for my upcoming reading list, I have planned to read:

-Demian, by Herman Hess

-The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell

-The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair

-The Tale of Hawthorn House, by Susan Wittig Albert

-Corporate Cultures, by Terrence E. Deal and Allan A. Kennedy

and if I have time before the next semester starts and I get busy

-Perestroika, by Mikhail Gorbachev

The books will be stricken through once read...

Anywho, I think I'm gonna go get started on that working out before my bestie gets out of her exam and we have our movie night, so peace!

I love Queen...enough said.

In case you don't want to watch the whole video, the video is my reaction to hearing the song "Princes of the Universe" by Queen.  I am a definite Queen fan (don't know trivia, just love their sound), and my friend Rohan recommended that I listen to "Princes of the Universe", but he wanted to see my reaction, so I had to record it for him.  Lol


*To be now noted, they took the whole video part and sped it up, but didn't include all of the audio.  So the end, with me talking, was me saying that the laughter was from Freddie Mercury and the guitar solos that could tear down brick walls.  To see what I mean, look up the video.  The song is on youtube (where I watched it).


Some of my favorite Queen songs, to name a few:
-Flash
-Invisible Man
-We Will Rock You
-Killer Queen
-Somebody to Love
-Bohemian Rhapsody
-Fat Bottomed Girls


Feel free to suggest your own...and yes, I believe that Mika sounds a lot like Freddie Mercury.  I love him too.

Getting an Early Start on My New Year's Resolution, I Guess

So I'm starting a blog to keep myself on track for getting back into shape.  Not that I'm incredibly out of shape, just that I'm not where I want to be.  Yes, boring regular stuff, right?  
Hopefully not.  What I'm hoping is that you other bloggers out there that are athletes, whether hardcore or just for fun, will help me with either motivation or advice, as I put my attempts and successes (and of course failures) up in my blogs.  


My current goal is to be able to run a full marathon, but that's long term.  My short term, hopefully achievable goal, is to be able to run a half marathon by March (in the Florida Halfathon Challenge).  I have four halfathons in the next four months, one this Sunday, one in January, one in February (Disney Princess Half Marathon!!!!  Gotta love it, but more on that later), and one in March.  The March half marathon is the last in the challenge series, and I want to be able to run the full thing.  
Right now, I can finish a half marathon in the walk/run interval manner, but I am certainly not fast or even remarkably skilled at running, I just like to workout and love to compete.  It may not sound like the best, but I do appreciate the fact that even though someone beats me, I am still beating someone else...a nicer way to say this is that there is always the chance for improvement.

This is my mom and I...SHE is my inspiration for running.  As you may be able to tell, we were running when we took this, so don't judge on the quality (she was definitely the photographer, though...my attempt looked like someone was having a seizure and taking the picture at the same time).

I am also doing a bike ride this Sunday, the Ride to Defeat ALS.  My high school swim coach died due to this disease, so I really want to help in any way that I can, which, for me, includes the 25 mile bike ride fundraiser.

To be fully honest, by Monday of next week, my legs might be dead from attempting so much at once, but I don't try if there's no push, so I'm giving it my go.  My favorite motto, taken from the Marines (and often quoted by my dad), is "PAIN IS WEAKNESS LEAVING THE BODY", so let's just say that I plan to test my weakness this weekend.

Well, I'm off to study for my finals (I'm in college), so I'll post more later.  So far, my workout attempt for today was merely doing 55 pushups (both regular and breakdance style, according to bodyrock.tv), and then studying earlier, followed by a nap with the puppy...Economics put me to sleep, what can I say?