Okay fine...I'll go into a little more detail. But you do realize that the firepole item is the most important. There better not be some kind of insurance rules that they're not allowed to let single ladies slide down their poles. Ahem...yes, I went there. #gutterbrain
I knew going into this that 52 novels would be the easiest thing on the list. I love books. Doing the splits...definitely going to be the hardest #notbendyatall. Less than 2 weeks in I had already read 5 novels. This week I decided to attempt a non-fiction so picked up Chris Hadfield's An Astronaut's Guide to Life On Earth. Biographies and self help books are usually the last type of book I'd be even remotely interested in. I don't give a flying f*** about all your glory and ego. And don't tell me how to live my life. But damn...being an astronaut is freaking interesting. From the introduction, I wanted to know how a 9 year old's dreams to become an astronaut in a country that has no astronauts, in a time when NASA did not accept outside of American astronauts, came to be. I'm loving the life lesson that just because it's not available to you now doesn't mean you should give up. You don't know what the future will hold. These impossible opportunities could change in 5 years and if you've done nothing to advance yourself, how in the world are your dreams going to come true, because you're now 5 years behind everybody else.
If there's one thing I've learned from the 46 before 46, it's that time passes much faster than you anticipate. I keep thinking, meh...I have lots of time. but in reality I have 49 more weeks to complete these goals. Sure, some can be whipped through in no time or combined into one big event, but there's a lot of recipes in Thug Kitchen Party Grub and I've only completed 2. And languages! It took me 5 years to learn high school French. And how many times did I travel to Mexico before learning the most basic Spanish there is? Granted, it took me no time to master 'Me gustaria bailar contigo des nudos en la lluvia" and my accent in said line is impeccable. But 49 weeks of 'When I find the time" is not going to get me a new language.
Nor will it get me into the splits without tearing a groin muscle. 30+ minutes of exercise on a daily basis has been amazing. Why I ever stopped doing yoga is a mystery to me. Within 3 days of random youtube videos, my posture is phenomenal and I'm so aware of my feet. I've gone from putting off a run or yoga or cycle to setting my alarm early, stumbling out of bed and unrolling my mat. To start in darkness and finish when the sun has risen is an amazing start to any morning. The next phase will be double work out days. Why stop doing yoga every morning just because I want to run or ride later? As every runner knows, yet most fail to do...stretching es muy importante. Hmm, maybe the Spanish honing won't be so bad.
After a 2+ month hiatus from the trails, I finally ventured out to the Shore this past weekend, running up...and by running up, I really mean running. My quads can attest to it...Dreamweaver/Executioner, down Mountain Hwy to Espresso and zooming down with the mountain bikes. My lesson here was Mountain Highway still sucks and I miss my Hokas. Three words I never imagined I'd say. I just felt so darned clumsy in my Inov8's. Another phrase I never thought I'd utter. I really missed running on marshmallows! Mmmm. S'mores. Running up Mountain Highway will be a task, more mentally than physically. But if I can keep running up Good Sir Martin & Dreamweaver/Executioner, the automatic message my brain sends of "Hill...must walk" will eventually be phased out to, "Hill! I'm so freaking awesome!" Even through the monotonous, rocky Mountain Hwy where I'll look longingly at every trail entrance I pass. Hill! I'm so freaking awesome!
3 weeks in...
And on the if I get enough balls list:
I knew going into this that 52 novels would be the easiest thing on the list. I love books. Doing the splits...definitely going to be the hardest #notbendyatall. Less than 2 weeks in I had already read 5 novels. This week I decided to attempt a non-fiction so picked up Chris Hadfield's An Astronaut's Guide to Life On Earth. Biographies and self help books are usually the last type of book I'd be even remotely interested in. I don't give a flying f*** about all your glory and ego. And don't tell me how to live my life. But damn...being an astronaut is freaking interesting. From the introduction, I wanted to know how a 9 year old's dreams to become an astronaut in a country that has no astronauts, in a time when NASA did not accept outside of American astronauts, came to be. I'm loving the life lesson that just because it's not available to you now doesn't mean you should give up. You don't know what the future will hold. These impossible opportunities could change in 5 years and if you've done nothing to advance yourself, how in the world are your dreams going to come true, because you're now 5 years behind everybody else.
If there's one thing I've learned from the 46 before 46, it's that time passes much faster than you anticipate. I keep thinking, meh...I have lots of time. but in reality I have 49 more weeks to complete these goals. Sure, some can be whipped through in no time or combined into one big event, but there's a lot of recipes in Thug Kitchen Party Grub and I've only completed 2. And languages! It took me 5 years to learn high school French. And how many times did I travel to Mexico before learning the most basic Spanish there is? Granted, it took me no time to master 'Me gustaria bailar contigo des nudos en la lluvia" and my accent in said line is impeccable. But 49 weeks of 'When I find the time" is not going to get me a new language.
Nor will it get me into the splits without tearing a groin muscle. 30+ minutes of exercise on a daily basis has been amazing. Why I ever stopped doing yoga is a mystery to me. Within 3 days of random youtube videos, my posture is phenomenal and I'm so aware of my feet. I've gone from putting off a run or yoga or cycle to setting my alarm early, stumbling out of bed and unrolling my mat. To start in darkness and finish when the sun has risen is an amazing start to any morning. The next phase will be double work out days. Why stop doing yoga every morning just because I want to run or ride later? As every runner knows, yet most fail to do...stretching es muy importante. Hmm, maybe the Spanish honing won't be so bad.
After a 2+ month hiatus from the trails, I finally ventured out to the Shore this past weekend, running up...and by running up, I really mean running. My quads can attest to it...Dreamweaver/Executioner, down Mountain Hwy to Espresso and zooming down with the mountain bikes. My lesson here was Mountain Highway still sucks and I miss my Hokas. Three words I never imagined I'd say. I just felt so darned clumsy in my Inov8's. Another phrase I never thought I'd utter. I really missed running on marshmallows! Mmmm. S'mores. Running up Mountain Highway will be a task, more mentally than physically. But if I can keep running up Good Sir Martin & Dreamweaver/Executioner, the automatic message my brain sends of "Hill...must walk" will eventually be phased out to, "Hill! I'm so freaking awesome!" Even through the monotonous, rocky Mountain Hwy where I'll look longingly at every trail entrance I pass. Hill! I'm so freaking awesome!
3 weeks in...
- Learn to juggle
- Learn a language or hone your French and Spanish
- Read 52 novels - 5 read
- Read 26 non-fiction books - partway thru #1
- 30 mins of exercise every day - Boom! Next up...double workout days
- See a sunrise from a mountaintop
- See a sunset from a mountaintop
- Run Mountain Highway
- Triple Grind
- Do a headstand
- Do a handstand
- Clean the apartment from top to bottom - Kitchen complete
- Cook through an entire cookbook - Thug Kitchen Party Grub
- Grind or BCMC under an hour
- Buy a stranger a meal
- Paint something
- Hang photos
- Spend an average of $500 a month not including bills, rent or travel - Wowza this is tight! Updating this to include PT, RMT & dental appts. And races if I get carried away...although any out of town races are really under the travel category ;)
- Stay off social media for one week - Nope. Not ready to bite that bullet yet. A coma would help make this one easier. Not to mention, then I could grow my hair out. Someone would have to come in and move my legs and arms around in order for my 30 minutes a day to continue. Anyone but Elayne that is. #IamnotacontortionistElayne
- Go to a museum, gallery, show or movie once a month - Another one that proves how fast time flies. I'm running out of 'tomorrows' for this month.
- Send my friends flowers just because
- Make an item of clothing you can wear out of the house
- Go to a yoga retreat
- Take a spontaneous trip
- Go skinny dipping
- Buy a piece of art
- Fly a kite
- Go on a picnic
- Take a bike maintenance workshop
- Use all my gift cards - This has been making my tight budget slightly more manageable! #giftcardsdontcount
- Run a beer mile
- Do the splits - Sleeping Lizard Pose is AH-MAZ-ING!
- Eat a bowl of really good ramen
- Go star-gazing
- Volunteer at a race
- Get a pedicure - Gift Certificate received! Whoop!
- Get a non-sport therapy massage
- Get my palm read
- Go to high tea
- Eat durian
- Get a mammogram
- Build a sandcastle
- Have a professional photo shoot
- Learn to make and can jam
- Make an origami crane
- Slide down a Firehouse pole - Hey Mr Fireman!
And on the if I get enough balls list:
- Go skydiving - Not nearly enough balls yet