Lindsey Heim

Soooo... its been a little while since posting.

Nothing too new in life. Just day to day, wash, rinse, repeat; however, I have a small compilation of some noteworthy observations that I have made. It is in the best form ever- a bulleted list. No particular order. No proper grammar. Just the facts.

- bulleted lists are far superior to text. I have estimated that if textbooks would eliminate paragraphs and other ancillary words used to uselessly join topics, they could reduce the physical text by 1/3, and increase their communicative productivity by 153% (on the American Gladiators percentage scale)

- I am thankful for other people in my life who are also dedicated to training. I am very fortunate to be surrounded by some pretty incredible people who share similar goals. It is a very select minority who really understands the feeling of showing up in the morning, plastering a smile on your face, and acting like life is usual after feeling the fatigue of putting in an 18 hour training week. It is a feeling that I am grateful for, but It is nice to know that you aren't the only one when the world sometimes has no idea or perspective of what you do or why you do it.

- people at the gym are funny. My favorite denizens include: fortysomethings drinking bloody marys in the hot tub, sauna people (I don't understand the purpose of the sauna besides to warm up when it is negative bagagillion degrees outside), people who whine and gripe about how full the locker room is in January-as annoying as it sometimes is, it should be expected, and as much as it is cliche to start 'getting in shape' in January, its pretty cool to see so many people dedicated to positive change, orange people (ie: way too much tanning), men trying to be a 'peacock' in the weight room, people who drink gatorade all the time, people with really ugly tattoos- especially women with 'gooey' looking arms with arm band tattoos.

- men with lots of cosmetic bulk look funny.

- I made some black bean cakes tonight, and I simply forgot how yummy they were. Possibly a new favorite food.

- I don't know why, but I have lost any and all tolerance to cold**; therefore, I am thankful for the following: heated car seats, wool clothing, heated blankets, space heaters, down.
** this is until I am training, in which I have lost any and all tolerance to heat, as far as I am concerned, 24 hour fitness is trying to make the new year resolution people think that they have lost weight when they simply are sweating pounds off just by walking in the door. For these purposes, I am thankful for: the treadmill closest to the door at 24hour fitness, towels, and fans

- great quotes from dental instructors:
"I heard that you are pregnant"
" Your husband must really like triathlons"
keep in mind I am single and not pregnant.... $#%&... !

- I am thankful for my training logs- this year, I developed a training log template that has been the best ever and able to track my specific progress better. Cheesy, and very geeky, but true. It is reassuring to look back an know what is in 'the bank,' and know what the numbers say. I am pretty excited that my w/kg have improved by almost .4 for my average (non-normalized) power on long (4h) rides since this fall, my Sunday workouts no longer drain the life out of me, I can actually kick out a pretty solid tempo run and not dread it, I have finally started to resolve the gut issues that have plagued me while running, I have the sweetest compilation of swim workouts ever, and since beginning my 'formal' training on Sep 17, I have gotten in 263h of training. Pretty cool. It is a good feeling to take the next step up each week and know that you have everything in its place for you to succeed at that workout.

- rant: "IF..." - I'm sick of this word. I have heard this word used so many times as an excuse for self controlled factors in one's life I want to put it on a recorder to save time. Listen- stand up for your choices, and if you aren't happy with them... guess who has the power to change that??

- I remembered the tv show 'Great Chefs' the other day. I don't know why, I just did. I don't know if anyone else remembers it, but it was on right after school, and I would usually find myself watching it for my 'daily tv viewing' over the other after school offerings. It did a great job of showcasing a particular chef, his/ her restraunt and education, local fare, and the destination city in a very classy and almost documentary style program that was still a quite an entertaining cooking show.

- I love the small things in life, unfortunately (or fortunately) often materialistic. That new pair of socks, the new swimsuit, or the new snack for a ride. It's that little nugget that sometimes gives you a smile for the day, that Peter Griffin twinkie on a stick. On that note, I will soon be writing a shoe review on my newest acquisition- the Saucony tangent 3. I have been a loyal tangent wearer ever since the shoe came out, and am now recently introduced to the tangent 3. After a few more runs, I will dish the dirt on the third generation.