Monday, March 9, 2009

New Lows...

When I was in my early twenties, I used to be fond of saying, "You'd better get to know your basement before it finds you." As with pretty much all my beliefs of that epoch, they encompassed an ignorant (yet innocent) naivety that was sometimes peppered with actual truths.

I wrote a letter to myself when I turned 21 to be opened by myself when I turned 31. For ten years I lost and then refound the sealed letter enclosed in an envelope with a unicorn on it. (When I was in grade 5, I wrote a book report and argued the existence of unicorns using Einstein's quote: "Anything is possible, if only you believe." Yeah, I know -- I still have that dorkiness! Hahahahaha!) When I turned 31, I was really excited to read my letter -- I had completely forgotten its contents.

I waited until just before I went to bed...It was funny, I had put a personalized sticker "Julie" with a rainbow, to seal the envelope shut. Hahahahaha!! It was pretty emotional reading the letter. I found myself becoming nostalgic for the younger me -- 10 years had changed me so much, and I felt an almost sisterly fondess for this younger version of me that was reaching out through time.

I clearly remember sitting down to write the letter, and for a moment, time had no meaning -- I was connected and connecting to myself. :) :) :) I was surprised at some of the pearls of wisdom and advice this cheeky 21 year old was giving to me -- surprised because in some ways she seemed much more wise than I was. I had forgotten lessons I had already learned and it was like a breath of fresh air to be reminded...

Of course, the younger me made some really, really dumb pronouncements too -- Like the time I was in Grade 5 and argued with the teacher that the sun was not the closest star to earth....I was so stubborn -- Mr. H valiantly tried to make me see the light (LOL!) but it wasn't until later that evening I finally figured it out.

Or the time I was 19 and I was talking with a girlfriend about how Van Gogh cut off his ear... I said, "What's the big deal? It grew back didn't it?" Eeeeep.

ANYWAYS...

In this roundabout fashion, I'm getting to news of training. I thought I'd learned what it feels like to scrape the bottom of the barrel through IM training and racing -- but oh no!!! I reached an all-time low on Sunday!

I decided to run up and down this hill for my long run. I usually only do this hill for my 1 hour run, but thought -- what the heck! Time to really push it!

You can see where this is going right? LOL!!

The first two hills were fine -- that is what I normally do. During the third I noticed I was getting a little weaker and oh MY GAWD, by the time the fourth one came around I took a brief sojourn to another planet and was momentarily possessed by my otherworldly twin.

On the way up the hill, I stopped 6 or 7 times and scooped up snow and sucked on it. Hahahahahaha!! I HAVE NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE!! LOL!!! I was hurting, and I think my body was resorting to desperate measures to keep me moving forward by focusing on something else. I think? LMAO!!!!!

Finally, it was time to turn around, and it was as I was sproinging downhill, I came back to myself. Everything appeared really bright too.

Hahahahahahahaha!! I can just imagine the comments from this post -- you all have so much material to choose from! LOL!!!!

10 comments:

Keith said...

I'm still overcome by the possibilities of the carrot and sperm that I don't know how coherent this comment will be. I am afraid to ask. No, really.

Let me guess, at the time, 31 felt like it would be 'old'. You must have been quite something back then. Come to think of it....

But I'm a bit surprised you think this was the bottom of the barrel. You didn't need medical attention, you kept going under your own steam, so you weren't even *IN* the barrel, let alone at the bottom of it. Well, as long as the snow wasn't yellow.

Susi said...

you slay me jules! love the connection with your younger self. now i wish i had actually started journal writing in my youth so i could remember the lessons i swore i'd never forget.

as for the snow eating...i am so not surprised. haha. you are the gal riding up highwood pass with not enough clothes and trying to get back to your car on a flat!!! i'm thinking that was the new low. tee hee.

glad you are ok!

Shannon Wicks said...

What a terrific idea to write a letter to yourself like that!

Jenna said...

I write letter to my kids but i think it would have been good to write letters to myself too. brilliant. I knwo my mom kept all the letters i wrote hom when i went to Austrailia when i was 18 by myself but honestly, I left out all the good stuff when i wrote home (LMAO) so it is like the censored version of what really took place...lol

Push limits and you will find yourself bouncing to new lows and NEW HIGHS as well. Rock on crazy chicka!!

Amy said...

What a neat idea to write a letter to yourself to be opened 10 years from now. I'm glad you found it and reread it too.

Way to get up that hill. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, eh? I bet your younger self would have taken the day off. :)

Kelly B. said...

Hardly a low, Julie...hardly.
Your low is would be a weeks work for many!!

Coach Sara said...

Julie, I have always wanted an excuse to comment on this blog. I was saying the other day that you should post more of your "wisdom" on this site, and here it is. I would love to hear more about what you learned from that letter. The fact that you connect moments like the letter reading directly to training tells me that you have a great future of Ironman racing ahead of you. As far as your races are concerned, we ain't seen nothing yet.

Watch out world, She's Coming.

KK said...

I love that you believed in Unicorns based on Einstein's words of wisdom! And that is a really cool idea about the letter writing. I could feel your anxious anticipation of finally being able to read it at 31-yowzers!

Way to grit through those hill repeats. I like Amy's comment about how your younger self wouldn't have even shown up for that. You are stronger and wiser now, for sure!

Amber Dawn said...

I started a journal when I was 20 and I have gone back and read some entries that make me shake my head, and others that make me think I was smarter than I knew. I love the letter idea.
When I was on my epic run last week with no food or water, lost in the woods I kept thinking of you. Specifically, that it was something you would do LOL. But I thought about you and your highwood pass ride with flat tires and freezing temps and no jacket... and I knew that I too would be juuuust fine :-)

And I just have to point out that your last post contained vegetable related sexual innuendos, and this post contains phrases like "As with pretty much all my beliefs of that epoch they encompassed an ignorant (yet innocent) naivety that was sometimes peppered with actual truths."
and "I took a brief sojourn to another planet"

For these, and all the other quirky and funny and wonderful things that make you, you....Thanks :-)

Julie said...

Amber -- Awww! I want to give you a hug. :)