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Skinner Butte x12

December 7, 2013 (Morning)

Exercise Type: Run

Weather: 15F, cold, sunny

Comments:
BUSY, BUSY DAY!

Slept in a bit, but then had a ton of stuff to do today:

- strength
- run 2 hours
- put up Christmas lights
- clean apartment

But, somehow I totally got wound into "live tweeting" the TNF race! So as I was eating breakfast, cleaning up, and running errands, I would live-tweet some course profile info and commentary. It was fun!

Chelsea and I had a date tonight: there's a new little (awesome) restaurant in the industrial building across the street/down the road from my place, so the plan was to go to dinner, then come back to my place and hang-out. She was here last Sunday to a drab existence, so I was determined to give the place some Christmas Cheer.

On top of that, I went and procured two of her favorite foods: almond croissant bearclaws from a specific bakery in South Eugene, and egg nog. Went to Market of Choice (~Whole Foods) and got this awesome organic egg nog from Petaluma, then went to the hardware store for everything I needed to hang lights.

Once I got home and finished live-tweeting the race, I went for my run. It was beautiful, but frigid and frozen: snow packed everywhere with zero exposed pavement. I knew the sidewalks and paths were still shit, so what to do? I began by running up the back of Skinner and realized: "This is a good place for laps, too!"

So...I started running laps! Up the back side (only halfway up, the shoulder), then a gradual 1/2mi down - great for opening up the stride - to the front side, then all the way around (clockwise). Each lap was about 1.333333 miles, so I wound up doing TWELVE laps!

Brought the iPod. Listened to an Endurance Planet/Phil Maffetone podcast, then a Rob Krar/TRN podcast. GREAT to hear him be smart about training (he said, in October, he would take 1-2 MONTHS off training and only ski/hike, post-TNF). Great guy. Awesome Canadian accent, EH!

Felt REALLY GOOD on this run, progressively stronger with each lap. It was so oddly good, this cold atmosphere, just doing the same loop, over and over. Makes me wonder what Desert Solstice would've been like.

After the run, I quickly hammered down some foot - but not enough - and went to work on the Christmas Lights. It's a mathematical process: how many "loops" over a distance, how many lights dangle per loop, etc. Big production. Did that, then set up my little 4' Christmas tree with lights, and a string of "icicle lights". Lastly, I took my coffee table and made an advent candle presentation with conifer boughs - AWESOME.

As for Chelsea, we had a little scare when her sitter canceled, but thank God her brother filled in. Would've been a HUGE bummer if she couldn't come, but she did. We met in the parking lot (across the street - mine is way too icy to park in), then walked to the restaurant.

GOOD dinner, and had some more good chats: She told me more about the "cocaine night", which sucked: about her friend getting into a sketchy situation with a couple guys as a result. Ugh.

Chels told me more about her ex-husband. Her intuition - and boundaries - were spot-on: he IS trying to make some obscure, thinly-veiled attempt to reconnect with her. But she (incredibly) made it 1000% clear there's zero way that's ever happening. It was disconcerting though. I hope he doesn't "punish the kids" as a result.

I was SUPER-anxious to get back to the apt, because she had to leave at 8 and it was nearly 730. So we hoofed it back to my place. I had the heat blasted and the lights already on, so it was like this awesome "unveiling" when I opened the door. She LOVED it.

I double triple awesome points when I busted out the 'clawZ and egg nog.

So we sat there, for a while, enjoying our treats. But she asked me again about "my story", so I told it to her: about my Mission, and my vision of the little kid inside her, and how that motivates me to protect her. And, about the little kid in ME, and how eerie it was that I was thinking about that (me being little, feeling scared and alone when my dad would drink, and "be a different person").

Briefly, succinctly, she said, "I had the same experience with my dad".

She didn't elaborate anymore, and we talked a bit more about what that meant to me, for HER to be in that experience Tuesday: vulnerable and alone, and how that affected me.

It was a powerful moment. We sat there, on the "awkward couch", and shared that quality time, before it was time for her to leave.

Really good night. And, of course, I wound up calling her (again!) when she got the kids home and in bed. We started making plans for NEXT weekend, which will be the first time we'll be able to spend a significant chunk of time together. Damn, I can't wait.