J. H. Authors

One Woman. Three Names. Many Books.

Random Thoughts

The Summer of Kicking it Up

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This AM I went for a 70 minute bike ride and 10 minute run with my Boston Fit peeps. Add a 1/2 mile swim in front, and quadruple the run, add three weeks and ta dah. Cranberry Sprint on the 28th. The swim still freaks me out a bit (though a swim clinic put on by Max Performance helped A LOT). I may be last. It may not be pretty. But I’m going to get this done.

That isn’t the only stretch of the summer. I am joining a blog on Monday–the New Hampshire Writers’ Network blog. Their motto is “Live to Write–Write to Live”. I admire the work of the blog, and am really thrilled to be a part of it.

And theatrically, all of my subscriptions are in. And last week I had some inspiring moments–meeting Doug Elkins (whose piece, FRAULEIN MARIA, will be at the Paramount in September), seeing a dress rehearsal of THE SUN ALSO RISES and then OTHELLO. All in the same day. I haven’t seen as much theatre as I would like to this summer, but I am starting to flex my muscles a bit. This looks to be a very exciting season in Boston theatre. You will be hearing much more about it.

And talk about stretching…despite injuries galore, the Red Sox beat the Yankees last night.

Life is good. Life is great.

Comfort Zone Stretch

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I am trying to step out of my comfort zone. I’ve blogged about the triathlon training. and will continue to do so until the end of the month (D Day is August 28). But the tri training in about doing something I’m not good at, getting better but being comfortable with being mediocre.

My other comfort zone is about being more present in various writing communities. Responding on listservs. Commenting on blogs. Letting people know when I think their work is good.  And letting people know about this blog.

I am also going to  start guest  blogging with a group–the New Hampshire Writer’s Network blog. I am an admirer of their work, and thrilled to be a part.  Those blog posts are taking some crafting.

These tend to be written on the fly. But I need to keep up with them, and use them as a daily exercise. Especially if I start letting people know it is here.

Stretching is exhausting.  But it feels great.

Just Keep Swimming, Just Keep Swimming

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I learned how to swim when I was a kid. You couldn’t keep me out of the water. My grandfather used to make me “dry out for a bit” on the dock at Lake Winnipesaukee until he got so sick of me pestering him that he let me back in the water. He sat for hours on the deck, playing solitaire and watching me in the water.

Thanks to proximity to the ocean (I grew up on the south shore of Massachusetts) my swimming wasn’t limited to lakes. I could body surf with the best of them.

But here’s the deal. I am trying for a triathlon. And my swimming wasn’t, shall we say, efficient. In fact, I could barely get yardage in. I tried to improve my own form, to no avail. And then I read that it was a good idea to have someone check your swimming for efficiency. So I joined the Master’s Class at the Y, and signed up for a couple of lessons. And I swallowed my pride (which is pro forma these days) and relearned how to float. And kick. And how to be streamlined. And how to breathe.

Learning (or relearning) as an adult is challenging because I think to much. And worry. I worry about hurting myself while running. Or traffic while on my bike. Or drowning while swimming. All legitimate concerns, but they overshadow the joy. And there is joy.

I have a long way to go before I am a strong triathlon swimmer. But I am better than I was last week. And for now, I’ll just keep swimming.

Tri Tri Again

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OK, so the plan is not going to work. I am just going to write what I want, when I want and try to make it regular.

So here’s the story. Last fall I ran the BAA Half Marathon. There are posts about that journey. And while it was life altering, I didn’t do it right. I didn’t take heed about the cross training (and strength training). I think I ultimately lost muscle mass. So rather than becoming fitter, I did a huge thing, then nothing.

So this year I thought it would be good to train for a triathlon. Cross training, blah blah blah. I figured I could ride a bike. And swim. And I’d learned how to run. So I joined BostonFit (a great support system), bought a bike and set forth. And I have been humbled. Supported, but humbled. I got my bike fit, and realized that I had to relearn how to ride a bike. I swam, but can’t swim far without reverting to a backstroke. And I realized I have bad form.

Ironically, I am slow at the running, but that is going well.

So the last few days (beginning of July, the tri I’ve signed up for is Aug 28) has been a regroup. I could bow out, keep on with the fitness quest. Or I could crank it up a notch. I decided to crank it up. Which meant:

  • Download THE SLOW FAT TRIATHLETE on my Kindle, and reread it. It is by Jayne Williams (who also blogs) and makes the whole process seem doable.
  • Sign up for a Master’s Class at the Y for swimming. This is a class for people who want to get better at swimming. Hopefully it will help me break through this hurdle. I start tomorrow.
  • Ride my bike to work. I got a space there, and bought a pannier for my bike. I psyched myself up this AM, and then the pannier didn’t fit right. So I transferred everything to my knapsack, then rode around the parking lot a couple of times to make sure I wouldn’t fall over. I got there, sweaty and disgusting, but I got there. Problem was, I had to ride home. Close to rush hour. I ended up walking the bike to the esplanade, cursing the whole thing. But then, the esplanade. I rode for a few miles, then over the Mass Ave bridge to home.

What did I learn? That I am stubborn. The whole bike bag thing would have derailed others. That I should wear bike shorts every time. And, in a related topic, that I have to learn to anticipate bumps and stand up. (ow)

The Plan

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So much whirring around in my brain. The perfect recipe for blogging, right?

Well yes. And no. Because the whirring is about a lot of different things. But I need structure. For potential readers. And for myself. To help frame conversations. And to help create deadlines.

So here’s the plan. I blog three times a week on the following topics:

Mondays: Mysteries. Writing and reading. And everything in between.

Wednesdays: Adult onset athleticism. For some reason, after avoiding athletic pursuits for 40 plus years with great success, I have decided to try and find my inner athlete. This summer it is Triathlon training. Which means learning how to ride a bike again, realizing that competitive swimming is not the same as floating at the beach and running. Or jogging. So on Wednesdays I will check in on how it is going.

Fridays: Theatre. Shows. The business. What’s happening, and what I think about it. Theatre is my profession. It is also the background of the mystery I am writing. It is also a passion. I love it. And think the world is a better place because of it. So Friday its about theatre. And maybe other performing arts.

I may have other posts during the week, but these three are it for now.

Sound like a plan?