alternate title, the last line from last week: Oh hello March you wonderful gremlin you. Or, stolen from one of Coco’s comments, Marchuary.
The boots weren’t needed for accumulation, but warmth as I dragged myself out in plummeting temperatures to pick up a library hold and get some fresh air. The booties are my new fashion statement, although if I’d remembered those I might have swapped out the sandals as they were a little tricky to keep on. Glad mirrored floors aren’t my job to clean, and proud of myself for freaking out a little less on them this visit.
Five years ago I officially became a Frozen Penguin. Still one of my favorite race shirts and as I was running in Monday’s 60 degree temps, I had a feeling it was then or never this week to wear it. Apparently I was channeling the weather (25, wind chill 12 as I write this Saturday night). Still proud of myself for opting into that race, what a wonderful gateway drug. From the first time I finished running 5K:
Do I care about speed? Not really. I have no intentions of ever “racing” even if I enter a 5K. Do I want to get faster? Yes. I really don’t enjoy running for the better part of an hour. But a playlist that started with “Shut Up and Dance With Me” and ended with “Shall We Dance?” from The King and I certainly made it a more interesting time. We’ll see where this all goes.
I still break into a dance when those songs come on my iPod.
This five year journey has been a blast and I can’t wait to see what the next five running years look like.
Weekly run down with Deborah and Kim:
- never miss a Monday: well I thought Kim’s Week of Pi started Monday, and it was absolutely gorgeous out. Thought I might get in Pi Squared, but the knee had a thought on that and I called it good at five and a bit. Perfect reentry after vacation. Met a friend later for a field trip up to Summit One Vanderbilt where the views were spectacular, even though it was overcast. My favorite skewed perspective isn’t even the height but how small 1.6 miles (the CP reservoir) looks from so high up. Summit is also the home of the mirrored floors at the top of the post.
- Tuesday: Pi! I don’t run Tuesdays, except when it’s going to snow and sleet Wednesday and I can’t run commute and clean up in that. Fun to run past a school fitness center clean out. I’d love to use the machines outdoors with a river view! Shame they can’t stay there and run on solar. Managed Pi and the #NoMoreWeek5K in support of their work against domestic and sexual violence. I’m done with most virtual races, but that’s too important of one to not support. Had to go to Javits Center later for a meeting and was glad to see Felix Marzel’s THE BIG APPLE in Bella Abzug Park. Bella is one of the city’s newer parks carved out of Hudson Yards and nice small Women’s History Month tribute to walk through her park.
- Wednesday: our office went remote for a week a few days ahead of the official covid shutdown. It was announced on the Wednesday, we had a transition day Thursday and began working from home that Friday, March 13. We’d been back in the fall before the omicron surge, but this was my first day back in recently and it hit harder than I expected. Where did these two years go? I love my job, colleagues and our leadership gets it. This was a beautiful centerpiece with a lot of meaning. I found myself re-reading Albe’s post about Rally, who will be gone two years on March 28. The office still feels wrong without him. But it wasn’t a bad day – I saw my two closest colleagues in 3D which is always a treat and et some new folks who I only knew from zoom.
- Thursday: office run group was a late scheduled meeting casualty, so I DIYed Pi Squared. Nice to see it just that little bit lighter at the end, even before the time changed.
- FriYAY: there’s something wonderful about friends traveling for work again and the attendant breakfast “meetings”. Also wonderful, librarian humor. I feel like it needs a Hi, My name is… label. Pleasantly surprised on a quick walk after work to find early cherry blossoms on the Great Lawn. Do you know the Dewey Decimal sections by heart? I used to, but with the libraries closed so long for browsing, I had to google the right number for a book. Bad Cari.
- Sleeterday: snow, sleet, wintry mix. Perfect excuse to stay in and read a book. Did need to go out because I put the Culture Strike hold on the wrong branch and when I realized it Friday it was too close to closing. And no, no marathon training here. Someone just recommended it as hysterical and I haven’t read running books in a while. There was no running. Yes, train in all the weather because you never know what’s going to happen on race day, but epic don’t wanna, so I didn’t. We need those days.
- Sunday Runday: 10-12 is the plan. Yay Pi Cubed. Waiting for it to warm up a tick though.
Oh, Sleeterday is a good one too! We had blustery rain, then blustery snow most of the day, then blustery sunshine in the late afternoon. I’d feel weird walking on mirrored floors too – I think I’d be afraid of cracking them.
I’m annoyed with people at work who are “ready to live like it never happenned” — the good fortune and privilege that mindset reflects makes me want to punch someone, and I’m not a violent person. 😉
Good luck with your long run today!
Had a frank conversation about privilege with people who don’t understand others’ hesitancy to go back to what was. I’m lucky in that I can run commute, but it’s going to be one hell of a transition.
SAme on the mirrors. And it’s just so disorienting!
I was wondering what that Apple was about.
You know I had FOMO with your summit pics.
A good week of running. I skipped my long run this weekend in favor of a snow race.
My two year WFH anniversary is this week.
You have really put a creative twist on Pi week 😉 Much appreciated for your commitment to be a part of the Pi Party!! Isn’t it nice (and a bit surreal) to hit a milestone (like five years) for running? I have the 17-year mark coming up this summer…not a monumental number (should I do a 17-mile run? LOL), but pretty surreal for this uncoordinated non-athlete in my younger years.
I love that you know when you started racing as I can’t even remember that! Matthew’s work had a mental health day off last Friday which marked, I realised, their announcement that if you’d been on holiday, you had to isolate at home for two weeks; we found out when we were on holiday then the UK lockdown came on the Monday at the end of his two weeks and there we were!
You are a TRUE BOOKWORM if you once knew the Dewey Decimal system by heart. I’m a bookworm too (although not at that level) and staying home on a stormy Saturday with a stack of books sounds like heaven.
I love those flowers- your job must be amazing.
Hope you had a great long run today!
HA! I have a tshirt that I wear in the summer that says “lake hair don’t care”. I don’t think I’ve ever seen mirrored floors and I don’t know that I want to.
I had a teenage patient this week who came in with a cold and greeted me in the exam room without a mask. I was like, dude, put on your mask. He gave me pushback. Um, I don’t want what you have. SERIOUSLY. I am ready to move on but we can’t pretend the last 2 years were just a bad dream…
Sounds like a wonderful week, Cari! Love the cherry blossoms. Always so cheery.
I was very happy I got my runs in in between snow & wintry mix this week! Not a great welcome home for you, though.
Running in a tee shirt! Can’t wait 🙂 5 years of running! I don’t really remember a time when running wasn’t something I did, even in elementary and high school, I would do it but not for the same kind of enjoyment I do now. My first marathon attempt was 2004, first finish was 2005; I should probably be more sentimental about celebrating that! Maybe in 2025.
Memorized the dewey decimal system?? Wow! I’m reading the book “The Reading List” right now and a large part of it is about the joy of a library. It’s sad that libraries are “dying” a bit 🙁 They were such a huge part of my childhood!
Lovely week Cari, and I’m glad you are enjoying being back in person for work!
Why does my picture have a sad face??
doesn’t show a sad face here other than in your comment about the libraries dying, which I concur is sad. My blog is kind of broken right now, so we’ll attribute it to that. Off to look up that book, it sounds great. I knew roughtly 910s were travel, health was 600s, race & gender 300s. Enough to get in the right ballpark to find my books
Shorts and a tee was just wonderfully crazy and glad I rocked the race shirt Monday since it would have been buried in layers on today’s run
20 marathons in 2025? 😉
Marchuary is hilarious.
It dropped to 32F last night. Whyyyyyyyyy!!!!
I am so glad your workplace treated you all so well. Employee appreciation is so meaningful, and you absolutely deserve it. <3
I'm sorry your knee is still bothering you. We need to get that fixed!
Ah that’s fun that you jumped into the Pi runs too. It is nice to feel appreciated by your workplace. That copier sign is very funny. I was in fedex the other day watching a woman try to figure out how to use one. Crazy weather here too way to fit in a good week of running!
It still seems crazy to think it’s been two years – and on the other hand, it feels like it’s been a lifetime.
Sleeterday is a perfect way to describe it – what a mess!
Looks like some good running this week. I hope your Sunday went well.
LOL, the sign on the copy machine made me laugh our loud. That was a good laugh.
I saw something online last week about it being the 2 year anniversary of the “2 week shutdown” and I just had to shake my head. We were SO unprepared for what was about to come. 2 years actually feels like 5 to be honest.
Funny you mention seeing coworkers in 3D. We just had our first in person department meeting since COVID started. It was weird to be sitting together in the same room!