reading Joseph Campbell

After sitting quietly on my bookshelf for over five years, the time was apparently right for me to take a crack at Joseph Campbell's The Masks of God Vol. II Oriental Mythology. Described succintly on the back cover as "An exploration of Eastern mythology as it developed into the distinctive religions of Egypt, India, China, and Japan."

Heavy reading, as in, I can manage maybe two or three pages before I'm done when I read before bed. I've actually written down several words from this book to look up in the dictionary later, which is unusual for me. PBS aired a Joe Campbell video during their last couple of fund drives, and I really liked the way he lectured. He had a very lyrical and poetic way of relating the stories of myths of the ages, and when it gets really challenging to understand his writing, it helps if I imagine that I'm listening to him speak the words on the page.

Early in the book, he uses a simple phrase to elucidate the main focus of Indian and Far Eastern spirituality: "All is illusion, let it go," and "All is in order, let it come," respectively. Further, in India, meditation is with eyes closed, in Japan, with eyes open. Both have the goal of release, but each is different. What a fantastic encapsulation.

Training Recap Week 2

I survived the second week of training, and added some new workouts to the mix, which meant whole new realms of soreness. The week began with a brick workout early Saturday morning. We were rerouted to the Veloway because of fog, which also meant (blessedly!) a slightly shorter workout than originally planned. 18 miles (6 laps) on the veloway, followed by a 2 mile run, then another 2 laps of the velowaty, and a one mile run. It's been so long since I've done this much endurance training, that I've forgotten the importance of eating during the workout. Thus, it wasn't until I'd finished the last mile of the run that I realized I should've eaten something before the second leg of the bike. Lesson learned.

The Sunday morning run was great - weather was not too cold for shorts, and I surprised myself by finishing the 6.9 mile Mopac to I-35 loop in just under an hour. The drills following were a challenge, though, because I'd worn the wrong socks, and felt a blister developing on my big toe.

Monday night's swim practice, I noticed some improvement on my kick drills on my back, as in, less water up my nose. The lesson there is to relax, one of the biggest challenges for me in the water. By the fourth length, I was actually able to focus on my kick, as opposed to not getting water up my nose. Tuesday morning swim workout involved an incremental mile swim. Swimming just wears me out, but the coaching is helping.

Tuesday's track practice was canceled due to rain, so Gracie & I took to the track on our own Wednesday morning. Six 800's at 5k pace. I have no idea what my 5k pace is, so we guessed. Apparently it was fast enough to wear Gracie out. By number four, she was lagging almost a leash length behind, so I put her in the car to rest while I finished the last two 800's. I don't think there's a marathon in Gracie's future.

Wednesday I checked out the core workout. From the start I thought. this must be what marine basic training is like. I have never been so sore, and so aware of my lack of strength, than I was after this workout. It was by far the most challenging workout I've ever experienced. Will I go back? Probably.

I started coming down with a cold or sinus infection Thursday, and it's no fun to cough and sneeze when you're sore to the core. In an attempt to sweat out the sinus toxins, I went to my first spin class Thursday night. I was pleasantly surprised that we had class on the second story deck overlooking a lake. I'd much rather be out moving, whether running or biking, than on a treadmill or stationary bike, so it helped to have scenery and a breeze. It was also good because I don't usually vary my workout on the bike, and there was a lot of variation to the spin class. On my bike, I tend to shift to an easier gear anytime resistance increases, say on a hill, because I like to keep a high cadence. Biking is a lot like running to me, an aerobic exercise, more about cardiovascular endurance, not strength. So I was "feeling the burn," as Jane Fonda used to say, as we cranked up the resistance and pushed through some "hills" on the spin bikes. Still, I couldn't tell if the cold felt better or worse after the workout

Friday, I rested. I'd planned to bike to work, but thought the better of it since I was under the weather, and still sore from Wednesday.

So, that's week 2. More soreness, some sickness, some newness, and I keep showing up and hoping that my body will adjust to the demands I keep making on it.

Reason #73 to like New Mexico

Last year, a group of scientists got together and decided that Pluto is not a planet after all, much to the dismay of the discoverer of Pluto, who happens to be from New Mexico. Well, the New Mexico legislature recently passed a law stating that Pluto is indeed a planet when her orbit crosses the state of New Mexico. Fabulous legislative work! As one who has always been fond of the runt of the litter (being one myself) I think this is great news.

Also, thanks to NPR for broadcasting this news tidbit.