81 Days of Tao: Verse 2

• Staring Problem by No Doubt

More No Doubt music on iLike

Verse 2:
Under heaven all can see beauty as
beauty only because there is ugliness.
All can know good as good only
because there is evil.
Therefore having and not having arise together.
Difficult and easy complement each other.
Long and short contrast each other:
High and low rest upon each other;
Voice and sound harmonize each other;
Front and back follow one another.
Therefore the sage goes about doing
nothing, teaching no-talking.
The ten thousand things rise and fall without cease,
Creating, yet not possessing.
Working, yet not taking credit.
Work is done, then forgotten.
Therefore it lasts forever.

Two Gutsy Broads

I have a training partner! Woot! Jen and I planned a ride today, both of us showed up, and the whole thing kicked a lot of assk. Since she has begun telling peeps, and since the 2-3 points of overlap in our social circles probably don't read my blog, I don't think she'll mind if I announce here that our joint goal is for IMAZ '09.

In addition to the well-known, universal benefits of training with a partner, here's a sneek peek at what will make ours sooper dooper:

- A mutual love of tots
- Boy-watching
- Tri crafts!
- Winter movie marathons on our trainers
- THE MIXES!!!

Back in the Saddle

Today I finally got to take Lucy Q out for her inaugural ride. She just needs a few tweaks (aerobar placement, a new saddle) and we'll be all set for a glorious summer of training.

But what a great day!! The weather was perfect, and I saw 6 other cyclists out today. The major triumph for the day is that I got myself out the door and did it even though I'm hungover from last night (that'll teach me). I even pushed hard on the last 3 miles. This is huge. I usually just spend the day on the couch with Law & Order reruns and chicken wings. I don't even do homework.

A new leaf, indeed!

Also, it's good to write blog posts (as well as sign up for races, set goals, etc.) while still high on endorphins.

P.S. I don't think I ever properly introduced Lucy Q besides the bike porn. She is a Quintana Roo Lucero; "Lucy Q" just worked.

First Post-26.2 Run Attempt

(not counting a failed attempt to catch my bus on Wednesday)

I lasted a whopping four non-consecutive minutes. Walked the rest of the half-hour.

I. HATE. THE. TREADMILL.

Body felt fine...soul couldn't take it.

Seriously...

Will someone please turn off winter?

Music Monday 1.28.08

Shiny Happy Motivation Mix (Now with less cursing!)

Truth be told, this is less of a mix than it is a list of tunes that get me through a workout with a little less of the edge that comes with my thuggish tendencies. Just like before, click the titles for sound clips. Enjoy.


Suddenly I See
K.T. Tunstall

This is a great "get going" ditty. It was on my iPod when I started the marathon, which was the perfect soundtrack for being in a crowd of 10,000 runners.


You Get What You Give
New Radicals

Um...the title says it all, no?


Jump
Madonna

I haven’t got much time to waste, it’s time to make my way
I’m not afraid of what I’ll face, but I’m afraid to stay
I’m going down my own road and I can make it alone
I'll work and I'll fight, Till I find a place of my own


You Can Do It
No Doubt

This has always been one of my favorites off Tragic Kingdom. It's No Doubt, it's disco, it's Gwennie singing "you can do it" in your ears while you crank the tension on the trainer...what's not to like?


Right Here Right Now
Fatboy Slim

This is the first of two FS tracks to be featured here, but I will say that Fatboy Slim's greatest hits album functions well as a standalone on many levels, not the least of which is training (and not just because the editors mined from it shamelessly for the NBC Ironman broadcasts).


Push
Madonna

You push me to go the extra mile
You push me when it’s difficult to smile
You push me, a better version of myself
You push me, only you and no one else

See what I'm sayin' here? Plus, this track picks up the intensity of Right Here Right Now and takes it down another avenue. This mix is "shiny happy," but it's not "namby pamby."


Don't Let Me Down
No Doubt

Again, title is self-explanatory, but having Gwennie in your ear with "don't blow it" is also pretty good.


Champion Sound
Fatboy Slim

If you're thinking this one's on here for the title, you're half-right. Just before the female voice starts the "la la la's" where the clip starts, there is something about the timbre of that voice that just gets me...can a voice be sassy and wry? I dunno what it is, but I liked this song better when I imagined the woman/women singing with a smirk. Just sayin'.


One Way or Another
Blondie

Talk about smirking...


Rebel Yell
Billy Idol

I'm going to say that yes, I am seizing on the lyric, "with a rebel yell, she cried more, more, more." This might be a good place to say that with these up-tempo songs about love/lust, replacing the object of affection with your GOAL is a good way to make a LOT of songs take on new meaning.


Working for the Weekend
Loverboy

1. Who isn't?
2. This is forever burned in my brain as the song Chris Farley and Patrick Swayze danced to as they competed to become the next Chippendale's dancer.


How High
Madonna

How high are the stakes?
How much fortune can you make?
Does this get any better?
Should I carry on?
Will it matter when I'm gone?
Will any of this matter?

Okay, fame and fortune? No. But finish lines...yes, Madonna, they matter to me very much.

Music Monday 1.21.08

I've decided I'm going to try to post a new (hopefully motivational) music mix every Monday...we'll see how this goes. I'm also going to try to make it consistent with whatever theme I have going with the quote and the video clip in the sidebar.

Anywho...

We're about mid-way through January, which is but one teetering point for staying on track. The newness of the plans start wearing off and could use a little boosty before the habit of it really takes hold. Also, I'm starting school again this week...that should explain the tie between the quote, the video, and this mix. GET UP AND GET AFTER IT!

Here's what I'm listening to on this front. I admit, this particular mix is pretty thugged out (even with its detours into pop and country), but I already have a few other mixes in the works that span other genres and themes. So, like Iowa weather, if you don't like this...don't worry, you'll get something different soon.


Ass-Kicking Mix (Thuggy Version)
(click titles for samples)

Let's Get it Started
Black Eyed Peas

What could be a more self-evident first track?


SexyBack
Justin Timberlake

Okay, I will own my vanity and say that part of the reason I'm training is just to get back into all my cute clothes...and my cute body. I miss them both.

Yeah!
Usher

Who doesn't want someone yelling "yeah!" while you're working out? (Though I admit, the actual lyrics are pretty reprehensible.)


Till I Collapse
Eminem

Lose Yourself has already become something of a tri anthem (I've included it further down), but I think this little gem might be more appropo. The prologue on this + Nate Dogg's hook = magnifique.

Intro:
Cause sometimes you just feel tired.
You feel weak and when you feel weak you feel like you wanna just give up.
But you gotta search within you, you gotta find that inner strength
and just pull that shit out of you and get that motivation to not give up
and not be a quitter, no matter how bad you wanna just fall flat on your face and collapse.

Outro:
Until the roof
The roof comes off
Until my legs
give out from underneath me

I will not fall,
I will stand tall,
Feels like no one could beat me.


Mama Said Knock You Out
LL Cool J

This one might be a bit of a throwaway -- sometimes I listen; sometimes I skip it. I just like the opening line: "Don't call it a comeback/I've been here for years," given my recent realizations. But it's a tuff song all the way around.


You Can Do It
Ice Cube

I will just say that in addition to the hook, these lines are why this track is included. Warning: this one is not for the kiddies.

Hear me banging down these back streets
Bumpin' Blackstreet, treated like a athlete
Life ain't a track meet (no) it's a marathon
F*** the cemetery that a nigga get buried on

There is another song by the same name by No Doubt that is also a goodie, but it is for a mix of a different feel (maybe next week).


Fighter
Christina Aguilera

This sorta picks up the boxing theme from Mr. Smith two tracks back...but mostly this track needs no explanation:

Cause it makes me that much stronger
Makes me work a little bit harder
It makes me that much wiser
So thanks for making me a fighter
Made me learn a little bit faster
Made my skin a little bit thicker
Makes me that much smarter
So thanks for making me a fighter

'Nuff said.


Lose Yourself
Eminem

Ah...the requisite Iron anthem:

If you had one shot, one opportunity
To seize everything you ever wanted-One moment
Would you capture it or just let it slip?


The Distance
Cake

This is more of a race day track, but if you don't visualize, how will you ever reach your goals?


Desire
U2

Toward the end of a workout, when I might be tempted to cut it short, this and the next track help me dig a little deeper and help connect my present pain to the future triumph that I want so much.


How Bad Do You Want It?
Tim McGraw

This song alone has gotten me out of bed, out of the house, to the pool, through the last few laps, through the last few reps, away from chicken wings...you name it, this one is just too good not to include no matter how thuggy the mix might be.

Are you hungry?
Are you thirsty?
Is it a fire that burns you up inside?
How bad do you want it?
How bad do you need it?
Are you eating, sleeping, dreaming
With that one thing on your mind?
How bad do you want it?
How bad do you need it?
Cause if you want it all
You've got to lay it all out on the line

See what I mean?

Best Excuse Ever

I know, I know...it's been so long. But I have been a busy student-bee all month, and today I got my first paper back. I'm only posting this here because I really can't share this with any of my local peeps, as you will soon see.

Also, it's a big deal to me because I've been seriously doubting why the admissions committee let me in, certain I would be exposed as a fraud sooner rather than later...and this paper would be the first flake in the snowball of my demise. (Here's the deal: I kinda found a way to work Madonna song titles into the headings of a paper about early American and European social theory -- we're talkin' Marxism, folks. Yeah, I called Karl Marx the "original Material Girl"). See why I was worried?

Anyway, here's the first sentence in the comments:
"This was a fantastic essay -- perhaps the best of this round of papers."

Aw, crap. I think I just pulled something patting myself on the back.

Um...I'd like to say marathon training has been going as well. I've only been playing ultimate sporadically and squeezing in some mid-length runs on the weekends. Oh yeah, and I skipped the half-marathon in Des Moines because I was working on another paper. But as of today, I'm all training, baby.

*storm clouds gather*
*recipe for injury brewing*
*swollen head on the verge of explosion*

What's Better Than Ultimate?

Ultimate in the RAIN!!! Which is what I just finished doing. Okay, it only rained for a little bit, but it rained hard and we were all soaked the whole time. Bliss.

School's started and is already telling me what's what -- I don't even have time to watch my beloved trash TV! So I don't have anything earth-shaking to report besides the fact that marathon training is coming along nicely. Week 3 is well underway.

See? Not a juicy post.

Oh wait. Here's one thing: I've lost 11 pounds since I got here. "Just" 30 more to go.

Must. Strength. Train.

Rubber? Meet Road

School starts tomorrow, but my big news of the day is that I have discovered the glorious wonder that is Ultimate Frisbee. LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT! A handful of faculty and students from the department as well as a whole bunch of other non-departmental peeps play three times a week. And now, me too!

I played for the first time on Saturday afternoon, which Kicked. My. Butt. And I loved every minute of it!

Ultimate is basically everything I loved about playing soccer and basketball as a kid, only I am slightly better at catching and wingin' a disc than a ball. In other words, I get to bring my sprinting back, which was the reason I was any good to a team back then -- I could always get to the ball first and give it to someone who would do something useful with it, like score. WOO HOO! Plus, what's not to love about team sports?

The best is that it meshes beautifully with my marathon training plan. (I've switched over to a 15-week plan since my grief over losing Dinah sort of prevented me from making a real start on my previous plan.) The boring intervals on the track have been replaced with ULTIMATE! *singing* Plus, getting to actually _sprint_ again is going to get me ready for the Pewterman Pentathlon in November. But GOOD GRIEF I am Slow-Ass-Slow right now.

So...I'm about to begin Week Two of my marathon training -- last week felt great to get back out there. I love the roads I get to run on -- excellent for contemplation. I've got a 7-mile run this evening to round out Week One; class and Ultimate tomorrow.

I feel content, optimistic, and happy.

A Trip to the M.D.

I spent Sunday afternoon in Matt Damon therapy (aka: Bourne Ultimatum). It must've worked, because I managed to go for a 20-minute run last night. It felt good to get out, get moving. I'm a week behind on the marathon plan, but since it has a three-week taper, I'll just cut one and do the rest from the beginning.

Yesterday, Rocky was out on the deck while I mowed the lawn...and talked to him out loud about Dinah. My neighbors must think I'm nuts. In just under six weeks, I've become The Crazy Dog Lady of the trailer park.

Tomorrow, I'm headed to Colorado to spread some of Dinah's ashes with the person who gave her to me. I think it will bring some much-needed closure, but mostly I am looking forward to getting a hug from someone who knows me -- and knew her.

So, I'm still going to be spotty on blogging/commenting...I hope to be back to full power next week.

Whoa! This Leaf Is HEAVY!

Folks, I don't know quite how to put this. Since I started this blog in April, I've had many false starts. Lots of big schemes; very little follow through. I was really hoping that the move to Iowa would help me shed the old ways for good.

So I've been in Iowa for one month. And I've been training. And eating better. (WAY better!)

Gosh. I just don't know how to break this to you. I almost can't find the words.

Well, here goes...

Since my June 30th arrival in Iowa, my weight is DOWN:

I'm not out of the woods yet. I've got to keep this up -- I need three more weeks like this, not missing workouts and eating right -- to make this a habit that will stand up to my school schedule.

Can I get a woot-woot?

The Bad News First...

So my "secret" goals for last week were to ride my bike three times and do the Beef Days 5K.

Due to an alarm clock misfunction (okay, I set it for pm instead of am--what a numbskull), I missed the 5K.

But I did manage to get out on the bike four times last week:

Bike: 55 miles

Climb: 1706 ft

Not terrible. Look out leaf, I'm comin' to getcha!

Windows of Opportunity

Oy. What a night.

From Accuweather.com:
Another Night of Storms
7/17/2007 2:35 PM The storm system that hammered the central Plains on Monday will produce strong thunderstorms across the Upper Midwest tonight.

Hammered is a good way to put it. I was up 'til 1am with Boots and her thunderstorm anxiety. I don't know if the thunder here is louder, or if my strong, sturdy house with a foundation in New Mexico did a better job of muffling the sound than my confidence-shaking mobile home.

Either way, even I got a little ansty last night, getting through my first tornado watch (we had them in New Mexico, too, but I think they mean it here in Iowa).

Then I got in a little nap until 4am, when the storming started all over again.

Another nap from 11:30 until 1:30. I took advantage of the break in the storm to get Boots to the vet for some stronger medication (like Alprazolam). Benadryl just isn't going to cut it.

I also took advantage of the brief sun to sneak in a 12-mile bike ride.

Okay, that's not me.

But that's pretty much what my route looks like. Corn, corn, corn. I did the same loop as last Monday, only backwards. It smelled of wet poop (cow, dog, pig, who knows?) the WHOLE way.

A shower and another nap from 8-9.

The storms are supposed to start again at midnight tonight and go on until Friday morning.

So here's the thing: along with naps I snuck a bike ride into my day? I might turn this leaf over yet.

My New Nemesis

Her name is Triowa.

(I swear I didn't mean to do this...it just sort of happened with the first line. I'll just ask for your forgiveness now.)


She's got hills, wind, and muggy heat.
This chick is gonna be tough to beat.

I've got to improve my Cornman time.
I'll work and train (and even rhyme--sorry folks).

Ahem.

Got out for a ride last night in a shower
And increased my avg speed by a whole mile per hour!

I'll stop this rhyming now, I mean it.
Anybody want a peanut?


Alright, that's quite enough of THAT!

But my big deal is that I got out on my bike yesterday even though it was raining. I live at the edge of town, which makes getting on the road really easy. PLUS: what's prettier than vast carpets of green under a blue, blue sky? When those fields of green are crisp and fresh under a rainy sky.

SUPER-PLUS: I swear Iowa has the smoothest pavement in all the land.

[Break for nap that came out of nowhere.]

Aww crap: I think my little ride in the rain ran me down enough to catch a cold. SONUVA! So I'll take it easy tonight...zinc, vitamin C, echinacea, etc. and just walk the dogs instead of going for a run. :(

Triowa: 2 (For Cornman and the cold.)

KrissyGo: 1 (I deserve something for the ride, don't I?)

A New, Lemon-Scented Plan (Now with Voice of Reason!)

Alright, I'm finally back online. I arrived and got the keys on Saturday...and my dad and I have been working on this place from morning 'til night ever since. Okay, I admit I bought this place without actually seeing it in person. That's fine, I knew about the wacky 60s blue paint in the living room. But I had no idea it went all the way down the hallway and that both bathrooms were HGTV posters for what NOT to do. Good grief. Bad, bad taste. I'll post before and after pics once we've finished.

The worst of it all is that this lady did not clean anything when she moved out. This is what's really in my craw. I spent the first two days scrubbing (on top of the cleaning I did when I moved out, and two days of driving). If there was a real character named Mother Crap, I think she just sold me a mobile home.

Anywho...all of this moving business has put quite the damper on my training (like, none for a couple weeks). SO...I'm revamping the old goals (again):

1. No iron or half-iron anything this season. I just don't have enough time to prepare.
2. I've got a race on Sunday (holy crap!) I'll make this a benchmark and then see how much I can improve by Sept. 16, which is the last sprint of the season here (and sponsored by the University tri club).
3. Work all winter and next summer toward Ironman Wisconsin/Louisville.

All right...that's a brief update. Time to get back to work!

A New Plan

Damn logistics! I was working out some of the details for making another run at IM Arizona in April. Between school, the distance, and Iowa's winters, going back to Phoenix just doesn't seem like it will work out.

Instead, I've looked into some other Iron-distance races and here's what I'm considering for 2008:

1. Ironman Louisville (7 hours away, the day before school starts)

2. Ironman Wisconsin (3 hours away, two weeks into the school year)

THEN THERE'S THE "HAVEN'T YOU LEARNED ANYTHING?" PLAN:

I found a non-Ironman brand race that is just 3 hours (and 14 weeks) away on the second weekend in September. That's right. I'm considering doing this this year.

I admit, I just want to get this 140.6 monkey off my back ASAP and then go for the M-Dot next year. I also know that there are plenty of ways for me to set myself up for success, and this probably isn't one of them.

Here's why I think this might work: I will be in Iowa all summer with nothing but time on my hands until school starts. That's eight weeks of being left to my own devices -- no school, no friends, no other life. So for more than half of the time between now and race day, I'll have nothing better to do than train. Wouldn't it be helpful to have a big juicy carrot out in front of me?

Okay. I'm ready. Hurl your grumblings, naysayings, and sage advice now.

Heavy Breathing and a Little Screaming

This morning I took my mountain bike out for some girl-on-dirt action.

I hauled some serious ass. (Seriously, my ass is huge lately) I hauled it uphill for 5+ miles.

In last week's fiery extravaganza I found the perfect excuse not to run but to put on about 5 pounds of soda weight instead (I know, I know). Needless to say, it was a little difficult for me to find good lines on the trail today.

Confidence: shaken, not stirred.

The picture is of the Cathedral section of the trail, which I did not get to today. I didn't eat enough breakfast before I headed out. Sucked a lot of wind. Almost blew chunks. Took the easy way out.

The "easy way" is to just ride the long slow uphill for about 2.6 miles to where the really fun and technical downhill section ends (if you're going the other way). My friend, Zack, (who also got me started rock climbing, btw) did our usual loop and met me there. Then when we got back to the trailhead, he talked me into doing it again -- which I am so glad I did.

The second round was MUCH better. After taking in a gel, I could BREATHE and I definitely felt more connected to the trail.

I ended up riding about 10.5 miles, with half of that uphill. Not bad, but TONS better than the crappy 5.2 miles I almost ended the day on.

Confidence: stirred.

I topped off the day with 20 minutes of trail running at sunset, which was a real gasp-fest. Then I apparently got a little too close to an owl's nest (or some other bird-of-prey's territory). In the last 2 minutes of the run, this bird swooped my head TWICE, screaming at me. Then I was screaming. And then I was running really fast...not because I'm hardcore, but because I was SCARED, okay? I don't know if that really qualifies as an intact finishing kick because it was fueled by adrenaline, not will or might.

Conclusion: I am in deep doo-doo for Saturday's race.

Tell Me Again Why I'm A Dog Person

On a regular day, Bootsie's jowls collect drool, chewed up food, and oh yeah, drool. It gets nice and stale in there so when she shakes her head later, she can launch little strings of slobber onto the walls and across her nose. It also makes greetings, shall we say, bittersweet.

Her jowls also rub up against her ears and coat them with a nice glue...which, come bath time, presents a hardened mystery goo on the inside ridge of her ears that does NOT come off easily and makes me dry heave just thinking about it.

But here's the thing. Basset Hounds were bred for hunting and tracking. That explains the short legs, but what good would it do to have this dog keep its snout to the ground for a few miles only to have it emerge with about three tons of mud (if you're lucky) collected on its lips AND happy to see you?

Allright, here's where this is coming from: We had LOUD thunderstorms last night...which wouldn't have bothered me except that it made Boots SUPER drooly, whiny, shaky, and climby. Since I was already asleep as this storm brewed, I couldn't give her a pre-emptive Benadryl (which is about the only way it works)...so I awoke to her clawing me and licking my face, and utterly inconsolable.

Meanwhile, Dinah had yet another seizure yesterday morning. And Rocky, who ate about $250 worth of my shoes PLUS both of my parents' couches when I first got him, has a tremor that has spread from his front left paw throughout his body and has recently emerged in his mouth -- making him chatter his teeth intermittently throughout the day. Oh yeah, and he recently ate the front off of MY sofa because his ball got trapped under there. Still, he is the Good One.

So what does this have to do with training?

I have no idea. But I have a lot of frustration to work off today.

Hey, Ain't This a TRI Blog?!

What's all this nonsense about tequila and asparagus and epileptic dogs? Aren't you supposed to be out running and swimming and biking?

Well, yes.

So I swam today. And I'm going to run this afternoon.

See, that's not nearly as interesting as me standing in the street, sizing up the plants in my yard for moonshine, is it?

En serio, my neighbor talked me into signing up for a trail race -- my first ever -- at the beginning of June. It's 8.1 miles. Elevation change of 951 feet. At 8000 feet.
=:-O

I can't believe it myself.

Hey, what's that you're eating?

It's a new candy bar called 'More Than You Can Chew."

Oh yeah? Can I have a bite?

SO...the new trail shoes I bought over a month ago, and started breaking in last week are going on their first trail run this afternoon. This oughta be interesting. I think I've mentioned that I am afraid of snakes. With the heat the way it is around here, dawn and dusk are about the only times it's pleasant to run -- and the same time the snakes are out marauding around. I know this because I've seen 'em out there on my mountain bike. Several times. And in my yard. Several times. Every time, marauding.

You know, they're more afraid of you than you are of them.

I doubt it.

Umm...that's a python.

Fine, fine. We don't have pythons here. But we do have all kinds of other snakes.

Yes, but rattlesnakes are the only venomous snakes in New Mexico except for the Arizona coral snake.

Yeah, well...have a look at this guy. He's scary.

*Sigh* Again, I ask you: ain't this a tri blog? Use your fear for speedwork, nimrod. Enough with the Wild Kingdom already.

Gadget-Free and Smiley D

I went for a run today and left all the gadgets behind.

No watch. No heart rate monitor. No iPod.

I went running just for the sake of it. I wasn't concerned with how fast I was going, how hard or how little I was working, or whether I was adhering to any training plan (this wasn't on the schedule). I just ran and enjoyed the view.
I immediately felt the liberating effects of leaving the watch and HRM behind. It was nice to just enjoy a run without the weight of some other goal on top of it. My legs moved without much coaxing, my breathing was cleansing.

The absence of the iPod was a little different.

I admit, part of the reason I went out today was to get out of the house and into my head (I grew up as an only child and I have turned this space into quite the playground). For the first quarter-mile, I hummed some little songs (iPod residue). That quickly gave way to daydreaming about things to come.

But once I got into my groove, the real playtime started.

I'm sure you all experience some sort of meditative state when you run alone, with or without music. For the first year or so that I ran, I had no music, so it was always a mental retreat. Once I started setting race goals, workouts became a chore. That's how the iPod entered the picture -- I needed something to get me through it. Today, I got back to the retreat aspects, and it was refreshing in so many ways.

My thoughts meandered and played. I thought of Iowa, road trips past, ridiculous schemes (like the time I announced to Scott that I was going to teach myself calculus), etc. Here's where I wound up after about an hour:

Whenever Smiley D makes an appearance online (a smiley with a capital D, rather than the widely-used parenthetical smiley), I picture this dog in my head:

Every. single. time. And I always get a little kick out of it.

Really, the parenthetical smiley is so demure...so POLITE. But Smiley D is a real cheeseball. A hambone, if you will. He tells you that he likes you, is aware that he is dangerously close to The Line (or else is looking at it in his rearview mirror), is a little pleased with his handywork and hopes you are too. Other times, he's telling you that you'd better have some treats and is drooling on your shoes.

Here, let's put them side-by-side:

:) vs :D

Now that you have this dog in your head, doesn't that capital D put a little silly in those eyes? Parenthesis Smiley looks like he's trying to get away with eating your chocolate chip cookies. Smiley D's got chocolate all over his face and is happy to see you.

The Moral of the Story:

Umm...It's gotta be one of three things:

1. A low-tech workout is magic elixir for a rut.
2. A low-tech workout is a quick way to discover just how crazy you are.

OR

3. In addition to the three dogs I already have to keep me company in the trailer park, I also have a junkyard dawg inside my head named Smiley D.