tumblingdays

A friend and I walked a 5K yesterday. It was my second 5K and first "race" and her first 5K. Our goals were simple - finish in under an hour and don't come in last place. We accomplished both! We walked it, and I came in 50th in my age group. A "good" aerobic walking pace is 17-20 minute miles, and we were at a 17.8 minute mile. This pleases me.

I woke up today feeling much better in my own body. The route had one large hill and hiking up it worked out a kink in my shins probably caused by living in high heels. Yay for exercise?

After the race, our husbands joined us for dinner. My husband ran the 10K while we were running the five. His goal was the same as ours, and he did well. We finished in 55.19 minutes. He was at 59.06. We hadn't even gotten water yet when he crossed the finish line. It was excellent to sit with old friends, catch up, and feel like I had accomplished something.

After dinner, I went over to another friend's house. We sat out on her roof drinking wine and talking late into the night. This was possibly the perfect end to a Saturday night. Her roof is a cozy, secret place, protected by old trees that let the stars shine down like benevolent eyes.

I'm in the middle of a long stretch on the road, and I can already feel a little bit of travel fatigue kicking it. The time will go by quickly. We are only 10 weeks from Christmas now, and I will be home the week of Thanksgiving. It's not that far way.

Despite my initial rough start, I actually ended up having a very nice weekend. My husband and I went to Nashville's Tomato Art Fest on Saturday, where we met up with friends, viewed local art work, listened to music, and ate fried green tomato BLTs. It was a good time.

Yesterday evening, we joined friends to celebrate C's graduation from college. C, like me, took the scenic route to a college degree. I know how hard it is to go back to school as a full-fledged adult. It feels like squeezing yourself back into a too-tight space. I'm proud of her for doing it. We stayed later than we intended, meeting new people and getting to know other people better. It was a lovely night.

This morning, I walked four miles. This is a personal best for me, and I am pretty darn proud of it! Shell and I took our time, so we took a full hour and an half to get through it, but I have never walked four miles before without stopping. Just two weeks, I walked my first formal 5K, and she and I are doing another one in October, but this was a new milestone, and I'm celebrating it.

My husband and I followed that up with a second graduation party this afternoon for another excellent friend. He just earned a masters degree. People who can keep going back to school impress me so much. I'm not much for classroom learning, and he, like my husband, is clearly a scholar. So cool.

We ended the evening playing a board game with friends. The game is based on the Battlestar Galactica tv series, which I never liked. I admit that I was prepared not to like it, because I didn't watch the show and I don't usually care for strategy games, but it was a really good time. I'd totally play again.

Now I'm at home and preparing for my week. I'm trying to live my new favorite quote:

"Please take responsibility for the energy you bring into this space."

So I'm spending a little time this evening contemplating the spaces I will inhabit this week and what energy I can contribute to them. It's a meaningful meditation at the beginning of the week.