Day 231: Taking a Leek

Most of my day was spent on my feet in my kitchen. I'm experimenting with recipes and baking for a friend. Tile flooring is not a fun surface to be on all day, and my back is having a hard time letting go of the tension. Someday, I will have counter heights appropriate for my height. It seems crazy that the world was built for people not over 5'8", and that I haven't done anything about it in my realm of the world.

So, Steak and Kidney pie: it was a success with our British friend and JE seemed to like it. I'll tell you what, after preparing the kidney? I never want to put that thing anywhere near my mouth! Yuck! Though from a scientific standpoint, dissecting a kidney was pretty interesting. I made straight up steak-pie for myself.

Actually, that isn't really true. I made a leek tart for myself. Leeks, eggs, milk in a tart pan. When I took the tart out of the oven, I had the tart resting on a hot pad in my left hand. Somehow, I had forgotten that the tart pan had a removable bottom. The outer ring slid down my left arm, burning my inner wrist and causing me to unload the leek tart into the sink--after several seconds of anguish. The end of leek tart--I'm just glad it was into the sink, it would have been an even bigger bummer if I had to clean up a giant custard mess from off the floor!

I went to the pool today, to unwind and to try to give my back a break. It was nice to just chill in the cool water. No pressure to do laps. In less than 2 days, I will be through this first big race. I am hoping I have done enough, and that these past couple weeks of lighter loads have a positive effect on my race. My biggest concern is that I haven't been as astringent about doing my sets--lunges, squats, sit-ups, push-ups. Going into my last race, I was doing speed drills and core strengthening circuit training. This time feels much more lackadaisical. But I have also learned that so much of getting through things like this is just mental. Knowing that I have done this thing before and that I can do it again--find my rhythm and just keep going, no matter what. Mind over matter, baby. It's all I've got.