"The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray" - Robert Burns (well, partially.)
To say 2014 has gone exactly as planned would be an outright lie. I've had a ton of plans for this year, some dating back to 2012 (looking at you, Fulbright trip to England) but the universe has had different things in store for me.
While all my 'best laid plans' have stepped out of line this year, it's been a useful life lesson. It has taught me not too hold too tightly to plans as you never know when you may need to change them or when they will give you another opportunity to better prepare you for carrying out those plans.
For example, when getting turned down for the program I applied for earlier this year I seized the opportunities presented with it. While it sucked not to get into a program that I had my hopes up for, they also gave me feedback that I needed in order to improve my chances next year. While I'm currently searching for a way to get that improvement (if you know of anyone who needs help on a farm or at a track/training center around Lexington, let me know!), I have also been amazed by the support I've gotten from those around me. From people helping me look for places to help me get that experience I need to those just with words of encouragement, it has really helped my confidence.
On the other end of the spectrum, the universe has kind of screwed me over on another part of my life plans. Last blog I briefly talked about my plans with Vegas. those plans haven't been halted, but they have been slowed.
My old reliable "Betty" car decided at a little over 154,000 miles that she needed a break and decided to attempt suicide one morning on the way to work. While she was driveable enough to get back to my apartment (with lots of begging and promises from me), she has been out of commission for a few weeks now. She heads to the repair shop on Friday to see if she can be saved.
Thankfully, I have my totally awesome truck to drive so I'm not S.O.L.. But even with how great he is, Blue eats a ton of fuel, getting only about 14 mpg on a good tank. Since the barn is 35+ miles away and I'm not willing to move, barn trips have been cut back to two or three times a week instead of every day. And since we are in the midst of a crazy Triple Crown season, when I get up there I usually want to just chill with the horses instead of ride. So for now, Vegas is getting a little extra downtime while I try to survive the truck's gas guzzling and dealing with Triple Crown stress.
But where's there's a plan going awry, there's always one to step into its place. Miss MD talked me into starting a healthy eating and exercise program with her. I don't want to call it a diet because while that's what it's labeled as, it is more of a lifestyle change than a true diet. The workouts are a killer, so my body hates me for that (but is getting into awesome shape, so yay) but since I am eating healthier (and with foods I like) I'm at a compromise with myself.
The first "block" of the program is 21 days (the exercise program that comes with it is a 21-day program) and it is over on June 7 so I'm interested to see how it works out when I finish my first round. Even though I've cheated a few times, I feel healthier and have more energy so I'm expecting good results as long as I can keep myself motivated to stay with it.
On my reoccurring injury front: After three weeks of being fine, my ankle/foot issues returned when I wore the wrong shoes for a few days (I'm guessing they need to be packed away until I am fully healed) so I have been halted on attempting to get back into 5k training but plan on adding that after the Belmont. That gives me a little under two weeks to get the foot back under control, which shouldn't be too hard.
There's not much more to report right now so I'm signing off before I totally bore you to sleep.
Until next time,
Mel
No comments:
Post a Comment