Okay. Fine. I'll go to the gym.
Monday was the last time I paddled. Zero degrees but sunny so it wasn't bad. No one else is on the water anymore, not even the Bohms or Tamas Partay. My footwell bailers are taped up and I wear warm wool socks and neoprene boots so my feet were warm but my hands, at least my baby fingers, were frozen as long as I was on the lake. When I got off the water, it took about 2 minutes for the water to form a candy coating of ice. It actually wasn't slippery to handle but when I put it down on those wooden sawhorses we have set up as racks, the bow started to slide along the crossbar. One of those crusty towels that's always hanging on things stopped it's slow drift to the edge.
Actually, I don't mind being back in the gym. The first night there, I ran into Mary Anne S.. I haven't seen her in over a year since she dropped off the women's team for health reasons. She's doing well and it was really nice to catch up on what's new.
That night I only did an easy 30 minute run and 20 minute bike but I was amazed at how much I enjoyed the running. In terms of sensation, the pleasure I felt was equal to drinking a big, cold glass of water after being extremely dehydrated and it just escalated the longer I ran. yay! I love running again (nothing like constant 6k time controls to kill any pleasure you get from an activity). I doubt I'll ever be fast again but quite frankly, I just don't care.
The next time I went to the gym, I ran into Larry. My workout was the same as last time and we both agreed it was nice to just do our own thing with no set program. The past couple of years, Larry's run a program - primarily for Kyle and Chrissy - out of Revolution. He invited a couple of us to join after awhile so it was equivalent to the high performance program at the club. This year, I'll get up early a couple of mornings a week to do a circuit or whatever but not every day - very excited at the prospect of sleeping in.