Tuesday: Run and Swim

This morning the rec center opened at 10:00 and the nursery was fully staffed.  It was like music to my ears.  All the dark hours of being trapped in the house yesterday with my child, the trainer and Coach Troy,  drifted away like so much dandelion fluff in the wind.  Ivan and I were both pretty thrilled to go somewhere today, and we piled merrily into the car and tooled away to the rec center to wile away two solid hours without the pleasure of each other's company.

I ran on the treadmill, and I rarely run on a treadmill anymore, so I was surprised at how much I really enjoyed it.  I ran my first two miles at a 7:30 pace and my last mile at a 6:45 pace before dropping down for a 6:30 pace for the last 400 yards.  I was pretty proud of myself and it made me think that I need to make more of an effort to hit a treadmill every once in a while.  It pushes my speed and forces me to really take note of my speed.

Now, after I hopped off the treadmill, I went straight to the pool and got in immediately.  It strains the limits of my nursery time allotment to run AND swim.  I was really hoping for a three mile run and a 3200 meter swim, but I was only able to get in 2600 meters before having to race to get Ivan at the appropriate time.  My swim was pretty dull, as I was just grimly windmilling through a workout as quickly as I could so that I could race to the nursery to claim my young son.

Even though I was windmilling through a workout largely alone, it was a sheer joy to be in the pool.  I was so hot and sweaty when I got over to the pool, and the water felt nice: not too warm, not too cold.  I enjoyed every minute that I was in the water.  I showered at warp speed and collected Ivan with wet hair.

I stopped by Starbucks on the way home. For Christmas, I received two Starbucks gift cards, and I just want you to know that I have been using them frivolously.  I am eating breakfast sandwiches and drinking soy lattes as if America were not suffering through an economic crisis.  Today, in an act of ultimate frivolity, I bought Ivan a Hot Chocolate.  I think that I thought in a far corner of my mind, that Ivan and I would sit around and drink our delicious Starbucks together.  We would commune over the snow and the hot drinks, and it would be a moment:  A special moment together. 


What really happened is that Ivan dropped his Starbucks Hot Chocolate on the floor as soon as I handed it to him like so much merde hitting the fan.  Ivan was so amazed by the huge mess, that he was not at all upset about the loss of such a delicious and rare treat.  When you have white cabinets, it is stunning just how much of a hot chocolate explosion you can see in your kitchen.  As always, I was surprised at the string of profanity I am able to utter in the face of a such minor disaster.

Once the kitchen was clean and Ivan had had a hypothermic amount of snow playing, I settled him down for a nap, straightened the house, and made ready for an evening with Ulysses S. Grant.  Having just finished Team of Rivals.  I was so excited to get to know Grant better.  In Team of Rivals, I came to respect Grant's humility and determination, his straightforward commuinicaes, and his refusal to accept anything but surrender.  Tonight, PBS aired American Experience: Ulysses S. Grant.  It is so good.  It is so good.  It has only made me love both Grant and his frailties more.  Each of his biographers speak of him with affection.  So proud of him.