Busy, Busy, Busy

ARGH! I’ve been so freaking busy! No time to write lately. Work is insane (but that’s generally a good thing). I am also generally very busy with working out these days, trying to fit it all in around my work schedule and there has even been a few social things here and there too.

Work is good. I have to say that I’m really happy with the way work seems to be going for me these days. I sometimes feel a little clueless or stupid about stuff, but I feel like everything I’m touching right now is a learning opportunity. So, I’m expanding my horizons, taking on more & varied responsibilities and getting more exposure to different groups and to different stuff. It’s all good. Very good, in fact. I think this is especially important during these crazy scary economic times. Certainly I feel very paranoid about remaining employed (and employed well), so if I feel like I’m continually growing in my role and becoming more indispensible, then I’m going to feel increasingly secure in my job. So, besides actually enjoying my job, I’ll hopefully more & more find myself in a secure and firm position. This is what I’m working towards anyway. But the meetings – GAH! Meeting, after meeting, after meeting, I’m ready to hang myself over all of these meetings during the week, but I guess you have to take the bad with the good.

Working out is GOOD. I feel so strong and fit and healthy these days. And happy. Really happy. I can’t remember when I last was this happy. Probably the summer about 9 or 10 years ago when I was living in Manhattan and training for the NYC Marathon. And even then, I don’t think my life was quite as balanced as it is now. “Nice Mike” has now decided that he is going to switch up my workouts every five weeks. Well. I am so, so sore from the new workout we did yesterday. I think I’ve been more sore today than I was even the day after running the marathon! He had me doing these wall sit things (as an aside, he thought that I would only be able to do 20-30 seconds of this, but I managed over a minute for each set) and these lateral squats using a medicine ball and this shoulder molder exercise with free weights that made it feel like my arms were going to fall off. And then of course I had Core / Spin class that same night where we did yet MORE crazy squats and leg lift stuff and ab work and whatever. I am in serious pain (mostly hamstrings, quads & BUTT)! I wince and actually whine out loud every time I go to sit down, and walking up stairs? Horrible. Good thing I didn’t have plans to sit on a horse today, I don’t think that I would have been able to do it. I need a really long, good, deep tissue massage. And now I have ANOTHER session scheduled with (not-so) “Nice Mike” tomorrow! Usually I like to spread them out in the week more (Mondays & Fridays), but my schedule did not allow that this week. I’m continuing to Spin too, averaging three times a week. This has been an off week however, so I only did the one spin, but next week I should be back on schedule. I’m running as well and I think that’s been the hardest thing to fit in with the increased workload. It’s really a shame too as this is my absolute favorite time of year to run and now that it’s cooler and I’ve been putting in all the running work for months, I’m actually running better. But I will continue to try and squeeze it in. Maybe I should be targeting 3x a week instead of 4-5x, since that seems to have become a little unrealistic with everything else I’m trying to do these days. At least I won’t have to feel like such a failure when my running plans for the week don’t work out.

Horses are GREAT. Of course, my lesson at Barn #2 got canceled last Friday due to severe weather and I had a kind of sucky lesson at Barn #1 on Saturday (sucky because I suck, not because the place or instructor sucks). But every riding experience isn’t going to be fabulous and is all part of the process of improving and in reaching the place where I want to be someday. I just need so much work! I have to skip this week for lessons at Barn #1 since I’m having a party on Saturday, so Ro offered to have me come out for a trail ride with her instead on Sunday, which I thought was really nice of her. Of course, I’ll probably be hungover for it, but it should be a nice ride and free of pressure. I can just ride and not worry about all the subtle nuances I currently seem to be incapable of. It will be interesting to see how things go at Barn #2 on Friday too. I’ve only had one lesson there so far, so I am really looking forward to exploring my experience there. I’m also thinking more & more about possibly leasing, and someday maybe buying, a horse. I keep looking at horse ads online and can’t stop thinking and fantasizing about it. But I’m still just in the thinking phase of this and have to rein myself in and try to be realistic about it, it’s such a big step and a huge responsibility. Still, I can’t stop thinking about it, it’s really a life-long dream of mine.

What’s not so great in my life right now is my current lack of weight-loss progress. I seem to be constantly gaining and losing the same two or three pounds and I’m finding it really frustrating. Of course, my clothes continue to get looser, I even tried on (and bought) a couple of pairs of riding breeches recently and was pleasantly surprised to find that I took a size smaller than I expected to (and there is no forgiveness in riding breeches, believe me) But the damn scale is really pissing me off. Still, I have to just keep continue plugging away and keep my eyes on my goal, and remember how far I’ve come in the past six months or so.

So, life is good these days. And busy. I’m pretty happy and fulfilled in general and enthusiastically moving forward. What more could I ask for?