What’s an aardvark?

Yesterday, my bare legs proclaimed the arrival of spring. Step aside, Fred la marmotte, Laura in shorts: the true herald of spring.

It only counts if I stay in shorts from morning until evening, and yesterday was the big day. The snap peas, radishes, lettuce seeds, and kale starts have been planted in the garden.

Indeed, the weather was also nice enough for a bike ride, yet I opted to go for a run, bringing my one-week total to 72km. What did my Garmin coach, Lola, have to say about this? Nothing, except she decreased my estimated VO₂ Max.

I should care about this exactly as much as you do. Yet, my ego burns.

At the end of yesterday’s run, my left hamstring felt a little off, so I’ve taken a true rest day today.

This allows me to share all the masterpieces from the game, Drawing from Memory. Daniel and Alexa were the first to show up last night. Alexa presented me with a lovely “compensation package,” which she’d previously mentioned contained something handmade.

I feel like I should learn some magic spells. The Blacktongue Thief contains a lot of that: I don’t have a mini-review to share just yet, as I have about 40 more pages to go, but the overall vibe of the story reminds me of The Princess Bride.

While we waited for the other opponents to arrive, the three of us did a warm up round. The first prompt selected from the deck: Horse.

Here’s my 60-second horse:

Continue reading “What’s an aardvark?”

Buttmunsch.

This morning, around 7, I found myself in a tug-of-war match with my late mom. We’re both pinching opposite edges of a tiny cookie, pulling it toward ourselves with all our might. The battle ended with me falling backward, empty-handed, as Mom emerged victorious, popping the chocolate snowball cookie into her mouth.

At 7:32am, I open my eyes, and Lola greets me with my morning report, commending me for an excellent sleep score of 92. Thanks for the affirmation, Lola. When it comes to my training regimen, however, she is not as reassuring.

This Monday’s 50-minute workout requires going at full sprint for 8 minutes, repeated three times, with 3-minute recoveries in between! Yesterday’s workout was more manageable, but when my pace slowed on the steep portion of the Chip Trail Loop around Cedar Hill Golf Course, my watch buzzed. I glanced down at Lola:

TOO SLOW

Continue reading “Buttmunsch.”