the OS factor

t-minus < one month.

i remember during football season, coach steve was telling one of his many stories, and he mentioned the "OS factor". and i asked him "what does OS stand for?" to which he replied "the 'oh sh*t factor".

ah yes - the moment we all know where the fire gets lit under your butt and you have a sudden burst of motivation whence all fatigue, laziness, pain, or whatever else is suddenly replaced by panic and "GO GO GO!"

i've been trying to be good about this team trials. i started making a training plan at 12 weeks out, including rampups, tapers, cardio, strength, analysis, and the like.

and then i promptly got sick.

deathly.

twice.

at 8 weeks out, i was healthy enough to train again, so i started anew. and then my achilles flared up and brought a whole host of other issues. laura made me this swim/cardio workouts which started with 900 yards and made me so tired that i'd be dogging it in practice if i swam at lunch. there were times i opted to just teach class instead of working out with my class, and would breathe a sigh of relief when sabs would decide to do forms at bb class. i had trouble sticking to my 11.15pm bedtime, and willingly went nights with 5-6 hours of sleep, knowing that i'd be dying the next day.

and then the 4 week mark hit. registration came and went. new divisions were set (rawr).

and somehow...the OS factor just...kicked in. or rather, kicked me in the pants and got me moving.

for as much as i like to plan...i realized...staying intense over the long haul is virtually impossible. much like my cardio and training plan that i had scientifically planned out - you need to allow for rest, for psychological downtime, for a steady ramp up, a climax, and a taper - in order to peak at the right time.

OS. what would i do without it?

and....we're back!

Well, here we are, over a full year since my last post. Perhaps the time of reflection that I used to spend on blogging has now been shifted to...fb. But I realize there was value in the time I had spent blogging in the past. If nothing else, to sit and reflect from time to time in a somewhat linear fashion.

I don't remember who read this in the past, and whether they would anymore...but regardless. Here we go:

1) My mom does not have the gift of prophecy. It is 2009 and Sept has come and gone and I am neither married nor anywhere close. I have to say, I'm not surprised, but still a bit disappointed that her prediction didn't come true.

2) I did not work out today. Shame on me. My attempts to swim lately have been foiled by the presence of kids swim lessons at the pool. Serves me right for not sticking to the routine and going at lunch. STICK WITH THE PLAN, SPARKY.

3) I got a ridiculous calf/foot massage the other day. I almost cried. If I wasn't in a public place I probably would have been screaming. But it was so very necessary. Why, oh why must my calves and plantar fascia be so damn tight all the time?

4) I am renting a car for 3 out of 4 weekends in March. I realized that at this rate, it'd be cheaper to lease a car. Having sudden access to Target and Costco, I have accordingly maxxed out my apt's capacity for tp and bottled water.

5) richro introduced me to this old yooseungjun song ("can't wait" - korean version). I can't download it anywhere. Sad face.

6) My sg had this Bible trivia contest last week against another sg. It drove me crazy studying for it (seriously, the book of Acts has SO MANY details) but I secretly enjoyed it. A lot. I think I'm just that goal-oriented.