odds and ends update

Yom Kippur yesterday - fast was hard! I was doing fine through about noon. Then I started to get a headache. Then I started to feel reeeaally bad. Then I broke, went to a quirky little break fast. Ate. Then my stomach just hurt. Ow. I knew it was coming. I don't even think I ate that much. I think the whole thing about going to temple the whole day isn't the best way to spend it. You don't actually get time to think! I don't think I reflected enough :/ but I feel like life is already moving on (without me!). You should have seen the scene at Temple Emanuel, though. Everyone all done up. Moms who are all put together with the fancy suit, the bleached/blow-fried hair, bright power-red nail polish, skinny-as-anything. I seriously wondered if some of them actually were sick and that was why they were so thin.

I got a call from Ms. Ariel and am very excited to be one of her bridesmaids at her upcoming wedding in Nashville. Hurrah! It will be so fun.

I am desperately trying to work on a first draft but it's not going so well. I have a meeting tomorrow at 11 so I am getting up at 5 (ha, a mere 7ish hours) to get working on it. Sigh. It shouldn't be this hard. Grad school is so much more fun than law school, I hate to admit.

Oh yeah, can you believe (1) it's almost October and (2) it stays dark so long! Almost until 7 a.m. Sigh, and it's dark when I get out of class at 7:15 p.m. Fall is here; winter is coming. The amount of people working out/running/biking in Wash Park is diminishing considerably. Soon, I will be able to bike the wrong way around the park and see the sun rise from my favorite angle. I had to stop doing that once spring hit because people (ahem, who had NOT been out biking through the winter as I had) decided to come out and tell me what not to do. It's not like I hadn't biked the wrong way through the park, in the dark, early morning all winter long! Sigh. A slave to society.

g'night!

week (weak) runs

Okay, I got sick - fever, head hurts, cloudy, sniffling and running, cough. Terrible run week because I just wanted to get better instead of have it linger on for a month.

Sunday - 16
Monday: 8
Tuesday: 6 (cut run short due to sickness)

that's it! The whole week!

Total: 30.

Anyway, I feel better and am set for a big week.

Imb Sickie.

I knew it was coming. Everyone has been getting sick. I think the 40 degree weather and run/bike in the rain yesterday was the kicker. It's only Tuesday, too. Sigh.

Week Runs (and running at altitude)

Sunday - 5 with my school mentee. Chai after. What a great morning!

Monday - Track workout by myself, at the end of the day. 5x1200. 5:00. 4:48. 4:56. 4:54. 5:53. Hot, hazy. Blech. 10

Tuesday - 7

Wednesday - Rushed to get to Runner's Roost Run. Not fun. I'm probably not going back. The girls were going too fast because they wanted to show off for the guys. I got stuck running too fast/by myself/too fast. I was just running the same old routes that I do anyway, so it wasn't worth the time. Also, no one that I could see having quality conversations. 9

Thursday/Friday - I think I was so bummed about the bad run last night that I just wanted a break. I was coughing up some blechy stuff, feeling a bit stiff and just not up for hot runs on the boring old routes. Yup. I am in the midst of marathon training. And, it was Rosh Hashana so I was trying to get to temple after work.

Saturday - 6 with Judy on a new part of Highline. Okay, didn't feel great running, but fun to see Judy.

TOTAL: 37. Crap week.

Some other thoughts...

1. Ugh. I really believe some people just aren't meant to run at altitude. That's me. Everyone I try to tell this to tells me they think I just haven't adjusted. But, I have been here over a year. And, I've been training hard! I really feel like I'm in decent shape right now, but my first race a few weeks ago was awful. My little race today was awful. I just feel like it's so hard for me to go, and then I hit a point where my muscles shut down (not getting enough oxygen?) and I just do the death march to the end. All this afternoon I haven't felt sore, just achy. My muscles just hurt from the inside. I took water a lot during the race and drank a ton after the race, so it's not dehydration. They feel twitchy and just ache. I am not racing at altitude again, though I'm of course keeping on with my training and weekly track workouts. Sigh, it's just frustrating and embarrassing. My training partner ran 10 (TEN!) minutes faster than I did today. Why? Why? Why? I can only hope the hard work will pay off at sea level in Philly Marathon in November.

2. I am sick of this hot weather. I'm still wearing my coolest outfits to run, come back completely sweaty and icky. Sick of it.

3. Maybe I need to just rethink some things. I want to start doing some longer but slower runs on trails. Change it up, see new scenery and just go for time, not distance. I've been feeling like my long runs with other people are too fast.

Here's to a new week and new-found motivation.

Patterns in nature

Just a quick post to say how nice the Denver Botanical Gardens were today! I went with Rita, who was in town for the night/day. It was actually a bit of a gray day in Denver, so we skipped a hike in the mountains. We decided to go local and visit the gardens instead. We had a nice time walking around for a few hours.

I really love patterns in nature. There is something reassuring in that they confirm there is both order and meaning and incomprehensible absurdity. Patterns are perfect. Patterns are also an inexplicable fluke of life. I don't understand them, but I think they are beautiful. Look:

Week Runs

Woo - the week started poorly but ended well.

Sunday - off

Monday - 9 (8 hard)

Tuesday - 6

Wednesday - 8. Track with Judy at 6:00 a.m. (!). 5x1200. 5:02. 4:59. 4:54. 4:53. 4:49.

Thursday - 11. New run around Platte and Ruby Hill. It definitely got me breathing hard!

Friday - 10. City Park.

Saturday - 16. Regular long run on Highline - Quincy - Highline.

Total: 60

Track

I try to keep the running updates to a minimum because I assume no one cares. (Does anyone read this little bloggie, anyway?) BUT, today is an exception because I'm trying to reward good behavior.

Indulge me.

This morning I woke up at 5:00 a.m. for a light breakfast before meeting Judy at South HS parking lot at 6:00 a.m. Track workout. We did 15 min warm up, strides and agility things. Then: 5x1200, with 1 lap jog in between. ME: 5:02. 4:58. 4:54. 4:53. 4:49. First, I am proud of myself for doing it. Second, I am proud of myself for doing it at 6:00 a.m. Third, I am proud of my negative splits. For you non-trackies, that means I did each one faster than the previous. That's good because it means you can be strong as you're getting tired. I actually felt pretty good. Maybe I'm slowly working my way back into shape?

Off to three classes, back to back. SIGH.

Como uma forca, como uma forca
Como uma forca que ninguem pode parar

Trying not to Globalize

This epitomizes my day: I was out for a walk this evening and stopped to smell the roses. They didn't smell. Even worse, my gut reaction was to be embarrassed (what!?) that I had done something so naive as to stop and smell the roses, actually expecting them to smell good.

Sigh. Is the week really just beginning?

Photo updates

I saw this sign a few weeks back and had to take a picture. I think it's hilarious.















Like many cities, Denver has a First Friday where galleries are open late with new exhibits for the month, free wine and snacks and live music. There's mostly bad art, but some of it is decent. I went on Friday and one of the galleries had a ribbon dancer (or whatever you call it) like those Cirque-du-Soleil people. Pretty cool. I love the contrast of the blue ribbon and the yellow/orange bright painting on the wall in the background.

Cookie Monster

Grandma Marion's Thimble Cookies

1/2 lb butter
2/3 c. sugar
2 egg yolks
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
jam



Cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolks. Add flour sifted with baking powder and salt. Blend well. Form into balls. Make a depression with your thumb. Fill the depressions with raspberry or other thick jam. Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes (or until they look done).




Yum! These literally take 15 minutes total - preparation, cooking and eating :) I cut the recipe in half because it is just me eating all these cookies and I still have a whole bag full that could last me 2 weeks! I made raspberry and apricot. I have milk. And tea. And a table and chairs (finally). Alas, I have no one to whom I can feed cookies!

I have begun my life-long Grandma Marion training. You could call her as you're pulling into her driveway to announce that you are coming for a visit and she always - always - has a fresh-baked something waiting for you.

Week Runs

Felt a bit tight through my left side this week after last week's long run and this week's track workout.

Sunday -3 easy around the neighborhood

Monday - 9 around Wash Park with friend + baby stroller. Just before the rain!

Tuesday - ugh. I told myself I'd start track workouts in September, so, gulp, this was the first one. I set the alarm but had no will power to wake up in the morning. Had to do track after class, which ended at 7:15 p.m. Pretty much in the dark and just wanted to get it over with. 4x1200. 4:50. 4:50. 5:00. (then it gets ugly ...) 5:30. Whatever. I just wanted it to be over. 10.

Wednesday - 8. Again, no will power to go in the morning so I went after class as the sun was setting. Headed South on Highline. Blech.

Thursday - 9.5 City park loop thing.

Friday - 5.5 easy, morning loop with friend around Wash Park and up to Speer Blvd.

Saturday - 13 Platte loop. Felt pretty decent once we got about 40 minutes into it. Nice to end before 8 a.m. and have the whole day ahead of me. We were trying to take it easy so we can run well in the Park to Park 10 mile race on Monday.

Total: 58

Ask and thou shall receive

Good news! As Vice President of the Jewish Law Student Association (JLSA) this year I am in charge of planning and running the Fall Speaker Event. Yikes! We wanted someone to give a talk who would appeal to a lot of people: Jewish law students, non-Jewish law students, DU students at large, and Jewish people in the community generally. So, we heard that a Colorado State Court of Appeals Judge is a practicing Orthodox Jew and thought that was a perfect match. We hope that he can talk about the overlap of American law and Jewish law; and, how does he live as a modern practicing Jew, while balancing the demands of a highly public, morality-related professional career?

One thing: I, the lowly law student, had to ask this important, highly-respected, and high-up Judge if he wanted to come speak at DU. What if I sound like an idiot? Or he laughs and says No Way Jose? After exercising expert Google skills, I cold called him this morning. Nerve-wrecking!! I was sweating. I introduced myself and asked the woman who answered the phone if I might leave a message or speak with the Honorable Judge Richman. The woman who answered the phone (Clerk? Administrative Assistant?) said something like, "Well, you can probably leave a message, what is it about?" I told her and she put the Judge on the phone - Success! Once he was on the phone, it was much easier. I explained who I am and what I wanted. He was friendly, pleasant and said Yes, he'd be happy to come and speak in October. Perfect! It was so easy!

We have an awesome Fall Speaker and I can now go on with the rest of the plans like booking the room, getting food, making posters, advertising in the community...

Honorable Colorado Court of Appeals Judge David Richman
Title: TBD
7:00 p.m., October 14, 2009
Sturm College of Law, Room 165
Refreshments served.