Thursday (Day 22); Friday (Day 23); Saturday/Sunday (Days 24/25); Monday (Day 26)
Thursday: On Thursday, we went up to the Mountain Home Inn, where we were staying for our anniversary and my birthday. Unfortunately, it was quite expensive and the physical “plant” of the inn was last refurbished in 1985 (yes, really). H was pretty pissed off. But what are you going to do? It’s a great “launching point” for hiking, etc.
This entire week I have been completely idiotic in my eating. I mean, anniversary/birthday, whatcha gunna do? I haven’t drunk this much wine and champagne in months and months and months. I’m writing this on Monday, and I’m back on track. Well – I mean, after the morning treat of apple pastry and hand-whipped cream hizzoner brought to me, as I lolled in bed trying to get it together after Crossfit this morning. I know, what can I tell you – ??
Thursday, we walked down to Mill Valley from The Mountain Home Inn (TMHI) down the Dipsea stairs. If you don’t know the Dipsea stairs, HERE is a link. TMHI is at Edgewood and Panoramic – so if you look at the photos, just scroll down until you see where it says “Edgewood and Panoramic” and then scroll back up. (We were walking that part of the Dipsea “backwards”). We went to a nice Italian dinner at d’Angelo’s, then we called a cab to take us back to TMHI. We of course wound up with an insane cab driver who talked nonstop about the “Patriarch” Act…he kept turning around in his seat to be “sure” we were listening, so I just made listening noises to keep him from driving off the edge of the curvy crazy road. H thought it was hilarious.
So Friday we were going to take a “short” hike from Muir Woods (about 2 miles or so from The Mountain Home) to Stinson Beach, using the Dipsea Trail (so the idea is to now go to the same link above, and skip over the little bit from where you left off, and pick up where it says “Muir Woods Road – that’s where we started from, heading to the end of the Dipsea). I’m not sure exactly HOW H thought that the whole thing was going to be like three miles, but it was Gilligan’s Island hike. And OMG there were as many stairs as on the “front” side! I had my 2 walking sticks that H had gotten for me, which were awesome – not sure (will need to pay more attention) if I would “need them” during TAR. In the end H was super duper sore not only from the hike but also from the Crossfit from Monday and Tuesday, so he used one of the sticks and I used the other.
I had discovered on the walk down from TMHI to Mill Valley the night before that my left shoe (smaller foot) actually rubs my big toe – think that the shoe has to be a little “too big” on the left side to fit the right. I tied my laces back and around my ankle on the left side to keep the hiking shoes from slipping, which worked fairly well. I also used a bandaid on the blister that had started to come up – NOTE TO SELF – MUST HAVE BANDAIDS!
The “Plan” had been to get to Stinson Beach and eat lunch then hike back, but just as he FINALLY hit town (after commenting that perhaps we should have brought out Passports as “obviously” we had walked to freakin’ Canada) it started to rain. We went to The Sand Dollar and I got a rum and Coke to H’s wine, we split a bunch of stuff including a burger with blue cheese AND bacon AND mushrooms, and H smartly thought to check the bus schedule – 10 minutes later we were on the bus going back to TMHI. Only $2.00 each! That’s one of the bus schedules that is “on the chopping block” H said – basically because it goes from the boondocks to nowhere – but wow we were sure glad it was still running!
So we got back to TMHI and – surprise! – our car was still back at Muir Woods! H was really looking grey – he was super hurting from the Crossfit, where I think he over-exerted himself the 2 days he did it, plus the hike. I told him to take ibuprofin (which he didn’t do – opting for wine instead LOL), and I said I’d go get the car.
Now THIS is a HUGE thing for us. H ALWAYS is the one to do stuff like that. I would have to say in the 14-plus years we have been together, I have done this . . . . um . . . . well, you see. He’s always the one to do it. Which is immensely chivalrous and all that, but he really looked bad and I of course was thinking TAR/push your limits.
So I grabbed my iPod, walking sticks, and headset, and off I went.
The trails were cut off, blah blah – there were some “dramatic” moments (basically I decided to not pay attention to a “trail closed” sign because it was literally the only way to get down the mountain without spending 2x as long going all the way back and around) – but I did it. The funniest part was as I basically “slid” down a closed path to the pavement in Muir Woods – because they’d removed the stairs – a guy and his daughter were looking at a sign, and I surprised them . . . sort of Bond-esque . . . I said to him “Um, which way is out?” and he pointed to the Left – I had NO idea how to get out of Muir Woods, as the paths there turn back on themselves. He thought that was hilarious. He and his daughter were looking at a map, and he said “Where’d you come from?” and I looked and where I’d come from was literally off the map. So I sort of waved in the air over it and said “Um, here.”
My “goal” was to make it down to Muir Woods and get the car and get back in as close to 1/2 hour as I could. So basically what I did was “run/hiking” – I used the sticks almost as you would in cross-country skiing, and ran (yes, in my hiking shoes). So that looked pretty funny to the tourists in Muir Woods, I’m sure. Doing this was great though especially on the (ahem) part of the trail that was closed, because there were roots, divots, etc. and of course it just dropped off to the right. I realized that if I kept my eyes to the path, I wasn’t that bothered by the drop off.
I made it back to TMHI in very good time (pretty doggone close to the 1/2 hour), and the bartender commented on it. H had already set up champagne in our room, so I took a shower and we had that, then we went to dinner up in the dining room.
The next day, we were SUPPOSED to do our long hike – but it was POURING. It had been pouring all night, and the ceiling was basically soaked through in the bathroom of our suite (as in, it’s going to come down soon if they don’t get it fixed). So they brought out buckets – and H and I went somewhere (forget!) and then had late lunch at Piatti’s, which he’d never been to. By then the weather had cleared, which was great. We had a “picnic lunch” of pate, etc. in our room – and I ate WAY WAY too much in celebration of our anniversary/birthday, what can I tell you!
OH, I remember what we did – we went to Joseph Smith’s and did the 1/2 hour hot tub and then an hour long massage each. His masseur basically pointed out how f*cked up his muscles were, and my masseuse and I tried very hard not to dissolve into giggles as H groaned through the hour. His masseur actually MADE him agree to taking a “bolus” of ibuprofen – and between that and the massage he was MUCH MUCH better by the next day. MUCH.
Sunday, Mom and Dad came up and we had breakfast together at TMHI, then went to the Mill Valley Arts Festival. Still eating and drinking way too much. Came back home, and had to laugh as I made my own birthday dinner (Sunday was actually my birthday) of my roast chicken recipe, brussels sprouts, and Japanese sweet potatoes, plus tiramisu (a little one from United – like a “muffin” sized one). We had gone to lunch at The Blue Rock/Left Bank for lunch, which was nice, and it was a GLORIOUS day. The reason I laughed at my dinner was that R had said that she was “not going to allow me” to bring my grandma’s cast iron skillets with me on TAR – and of course, that’s my “secret weapon” for my chicken and sprouts! So that gave me a good grin.
Today the warmup was 100 jumping jacks – which I did 40 of and it hurt my shoulder too much so I quit and did 500 m row. Then it was 3x 10 squats/10 kips/10 pushups – I did the squats of course holding on, but I feel like I’m better, and the pushups on the parallel bars. My shoulder really sucks. The masseuse worked on it HARD and I think she made some progress. I have to make more appointments for that – I have 10 with Kathryn, time to use them.
The WOD was 10 x (200m run, 10 wall balls, 10 kettle bell swings, 10 pullups). Anthony had H do 10 x 7 on all of them – and I told H to do them at the weight I was doing, so that he wouldn’t get wasted like he had been from the week before. I had been doing the “jumping” pullups wrong – I had been doing it from 3 of the biggest plates, I think I have to do it from 2, because I wasn’t “squatting and letting my arms hang off the bar” then using the squat to get me over the bar. I was more “jumping” off the plates to chin over the bar.
I figure that this can be my “birthday WOD” (smile). I think I did it in 36:42. I am going to have to check tomorrow to be sure.
I didn’t get to Red Dragon again today – and I think I have to talk to Gail. It’s just silly for me to continue doing work study when I literally NEVER get to yoga. And I did at least do the “hold” for the JCC – just need to get that signed and back to them.
So that’s my check-in. I was super proud that I was the one to go get the car in Muir Woods – and I felt super proud that I did the WOD today at Rx (meaning, the number you’re supposed to do – though I was scaling). I did the wall balls at 10 lbs (so did H), and the kettle bell swings and 1 up from the 5 lb (I don’t know what the weight is, it’s not written on it, but the tape on it is yellow). I have to remember to use my hips to “pop” the KBS. I was forgetting that. Also now I have to work on the pullup the “right” way.
Time to go do work trade. I have a LOT of stuff that I have to catch up on – now strewn all across the office. Argh.
Did download and send R a copy of a Kindle book on Memory today – so I think that will be useful. Also Raja is nearly done re-vamping this website.