spider monkey

i am a spider monkey. the first few days on the ship my husband called me a lizard - i would just seek out sunniest spots & lie there for hours ... but now, after we did the rock wall yesterday, i'm a spider monkey. he took a picture of me walking over to the wall just as i was starting out & then hit the off button on the camera by accident. while he was futzing with the camera to get it back on, i had already made it halfway up wall. i did get a bit stuck at one point, not really sure if i should move a hand or a foot - randolf yelled up my next move & i was headed up again, spider monkey that i am - straight for the bell.

randolf was my 'instructor' ... i love that all they do is kindly request that you sign your life away on a release form, plop a helmet on your head, strap you into harness & just send you on your merry way. the guy with your life in his hands is the 'instructor'. randolf told me to just use my legs to push me up & i'd have no problem.

"you have strong legs?" he asked in a fabulously dreamy island accent.

dude, i have run a marathon. i got strong legs.

strong, spider monkey legs.

obstacle course

today's run was by far, the best run i have had while on this ship.
because up until today i was just another lemming - runaroundtrackrunaroundtrackrunaroundtrack.
like, a kabillion times.
it only took me 7 days on this ship to figure out how to spice things up a bit during this endless running around the little six-tenths of a mile track ... it was like i woke up & finally took notice of the stairs in front of me that went up to the top front deck (my husband & i usually went up here to sunbathe - we could get away from the awful band & not have to cram ourselves in with other sunbathers - we'd practically have the whole top to ourselves) ... so, here was my course:

up the stairsaround the frontdown the stairsback on the trackstraight ahead towards back zig zag through the partitions set up to cut down on windacross basketball courtzig zag through columns outside "country club" (putt putt golf) around the back - look down & see everyone on deck cafe having breakfastzig zag through walls zig zag through more walls sprint (just for fun) to stairs & start all over again

now - maybe next cruise i'll try to do that with a fruity little umbrella drink in my hand. thats worth writing home about.

running in tiny circles

best intentions don't always work out ... the wake up call came in at 6 ... i got up long enough to take motion sickness pill, but went right back to bed & got up again at 7 ... this time, i dressed & headed up to track ... very few people out - there were even a couple of runners. was able to get 3 miles done on track before the "morning walk-a-mile group" came up & i headed into gym to finish on treadmill.

here's what i want to know: where are all those fit young people from the "get out there" commmercials?? tomorrow morning: 6 am ... want to see the sun rise while i run little circles around the deck ...

but the best part of today's run was that a few hours later we were docked in San Juan ... hello mojitos.

running on water

After 2 days off due to travelling, etc .. i was jonesing for a run today. slept in a bit - it is a vacation, after all - and headed up to the track around 9 am. i thought the track would have actual lanes that go around the entire perimeter of the ship. but its' a tiny little track - 6 times around lap = 1 mile ... i got 6 miles on the schedule - 36 laps this morning. the first 4 were pretty fun -

the thing about running on the top deck of a ship is this: on one side, i got hit with a 20 knot tailwind & felt like i was FLYING ... i swear my feet never even hit the ground ...on the other side, i got hit with the same wind coming right straight at me & slowed way the hell down ... really had to plow through it - laughing - it was fairly amusing trying to run through a headwind that strong... that, coupled with dodging the little old people strolling with their canes, & it makes for a good interval workout. i could only do 12 laps before it got too crowded with the walkers & people setting themselves up in the chairs lined up along the track for afternoon of sunning. so i went into gym & did another 2 on treadmill ... running on a treadmill on a moving ship watching the waves next to me was a recipe for vertigo ... so while i had fully intended to knock out 4 miles on treadmill to make 6, i only did 2 ... figured when i was needing to grab onto handrails because i was dizzy meant it was time to get off. tomorrow morning, must beat the morning walkers & be on track early.

snowy bliss.

in preparation for my 4:40 pick up for the run with the big dogs, i sleep in the first layer of my running clothes & worried that i would sleep through alarm, i basically see every hour pass ... alarm goes off at 4:10 and i am out of bed like a shot ... put on next layer & head down to brush teeth ... when lo & behold, i get a text message from coach about how i am off the hook - he doesn't feel well!!! (that glee makes me look a little thoughtless ... i'm sorry he doesn't fell well, but i didn't have to run with the big dogs! thus: the glee).

now this is where a normal person would run right back to bed.
but i'm not normal - i'm a runner now.
so, going back to bed is not my first thought. my first thought is, well - i'm up - i should at least go down & check the news to see if school is cancelled (they cancel school around here the minute a flake falls) - i figure if school is cancelled, I'll need to get my run out of the way anyway ... no news on cancellations, so i go back to bed.

and i lie there.
still in my running clothes.
wide awake.
thinking about the inch of snow on the ground.
the inch of snow that is begging me to go run in it.
but i hate running in the dark i think.
i get up & look out window.
hey! its' not so dark with all that snow out there.
you know where this is going ...
out of bed, sneakers on & out door before saner thoughts prevailed.

nothing better than crunch of snow underfoot ...
5 miles of pure, snowy bliss ...
only other sign of life was the occasional plow that came by erasing the proof behind me that I had been the first one there.
running in the snow.