Fall is in the air....sorta

Dear weather gods;

In two days, it will be October, harbringer of autumn. I love fall. Cooler temperatures, colorful leaves, donuts and cider, and of course, sweater weather. Unfortuately, while autumn arrives around most other temperate states around now (and even in other parts of Virginia) it is slow to come to Richmond. Although the temperatures are becoming cooler, the leaves are still green and the flowers are still blooming. By my earliest estimation, by mid-November I should be able to finally pack away the last of the summer sandals and t-shirts, and finish unpacking my sweaters and socks. By February, winter will be gone and spring will be rearing is ugly, pollen-laden head, and the wardrobe that was so carefully packed away will be retrieved, and again my sweaters will return to their nine-month Rubbermaid slumber.

Oh, weather gods, why do you torment me so? Have I not been faithful to you? Do I not dress appropriately for each of your seasons? Am I not a good follower of your rules? Do I wear white after Labor day? Does my wool traverse into summer? True, there was a time in my past when I thought it was "cool" to wear Teva's year-round, covering my freezing feet with thick socks in winter. I have learned from my past indiscretions, and I beseech you, dear weather gods--don't torment me so! Please send me a beautiful temperate moderately-cool temperatured autumn to enjoy, followed by a nice brisk winter, sans the ice storms you felt that I was deserving of last year. Am I asking too much, weather god, sir? I think not! Only you control the thermostat of the world. And with that, I bid you adieu

Your most loyal autumn fan,

Ruthie

I hurt (but I feel great)...

Between the walking challenge at work, and the Biggest Loser challenge at my gym, I am SORE. The trade-off is, I feel pretty darn good.

The walking challenge is a team effort. I and my three teammates wear pedometers for six-weeks and compete against 14 other teams in our company for prizes and recognition.

The Biggest Loser challenge at my gym is an individual effort. I entered the contest for two dollars, and the person who loses the most weight/body fat by November 15 wins all the money in the pot.

In order to get my walking team in a good place, I have been adding extra walking to my day, when possible. For example, on Saturday, instead of driving to the gym to work out, I walked two miles to the gym, did my weightraining, and then walked two miles home. Unfortunately, it's getting dark too early to do this after work, but I did do it once last week. Usually I just walk about 2.5 miles around the neighborhood in the evenings because I've kind of gotten burned out on the eliptical machine. In addition to my walking, I'm also playing tennis and softball. Just to give you an idea of what my typical after work schedule looks like, here is an example:

Monday--tennis
Tuesday--tennis
Wednesday--walking or weightraining
Thursday--softball practice
Friday--walking (or gym if raining)
Saturday--walking to gym/weightraining
Sunday--softball game

A schedule like this is the reason I hurt. I think I'm going to regret the twice weekly tennis, especially if my partner continues to push out 2.5 hours each time we play. The walking is great--I don't mind that at all and have come to realize that on days I don't do something active after work, I feel kind of sluggish and don't sleep as well. The softball is growing on me--and I'm sure if I continue to be assigned to the catcher position, all of the squatting will become second nature, and I'll have some great thighs, too.

Oh yeah, and once a month I have a bookclub meeting to organize. Hopefully, that will catch on and more people will begin to join.

That's all for now.