Clearing out the to do list

Thank you to everyone for the support, I really appreciate it when caught this much off guard by my job.  While I wait for work to decide how much of a curve ball I'll be getting and when, I managed to knock two things off of my goals list in one weekend.

Saturday I had my second bomb proofing clinic.  Not too much to report, since it was focused on adding skills in the saddle and, surprise surprise, I have above average control of my horse's body.  Leg yield and shoulder in?  Not exactly new concepts for us.  While two of the horses had trouble with the exercise where they trotted over a tarp, Theo cantered over it on the buckle because he is the king of not giving a shit.

We did have a bit of trouble when we had Little Girl having one of her 'moments', another horse spooking at the tarp, and a third horse having a conniption at the soccer ball.  In the middle of it all was the clinician, trying to manage the chaos and having to get loud.  Energy levels got a bit too high and Theo started to get a bit hot.  Not spooky, but studish and wanting to strike out at these other horses that were invading his space and being unpredictable.  It was great practice for a warm up ring and I concentrated on making him work through something that's very challenging for him while everyone else worried about desensitization.

Then we did a flying change over the tarp because the instructor suggested it as a joke.  Do not tease me, I will always try to show you up.  It's a flaw.

 This is a horse that does not stable well.  Can you hear him demanding his release?  A whole 3 hours imprisoned.

Sunday I ran my very first 5k.  Though ran is probably too strong of a term.  How about enthusiastic shuffle?  I did it in 38 minutes, giving me three 12 minute miles.  That's not too bad considering I haven't run anywhere for any reason since college.  And even back then I was slow.  I'm planning to keep this up and see if I can get down to some 10 minute miles.  I sounded like a dying freight train at the end, but by the gods, I ran over that finish line.

Hubby came along for the beer and chili.  His competitive nature got the best of him and he ended up running despite his stated plan to walk and probably not bother doing the last loop.  He walked/ran all 3.1 miles in 40 minutes while wearing a flannel shirt, cargo pants, and hiking boots.  He looked like a hipster got lost and jumped in on the fun.  No, he did not train in any way, shape, or form and was only two minutes behind me.  It's valid to loathe him a bit for that, right?

Selfie fail, but it was a first for both of us so the picture stays

After my 38 minutes of self torture, we celebrated!

Homemade kettle chips with cheddar, bacon, and blue cheese paired with a cask conditioned cocoa porter, these paired beautifully

They had a lovely dark beer with some salty, crunchy goodness.  Electrolytes, right?  I earned it, dang it.  And yes, my legs are sore now.  Tomorrow will be unpleasant.  Good thing it's Trainer A's day with mi papi since I doubt he'd be getting a lot of motivation from me.  My Herbal Horse muscle rub is being put to good use.

Will I do this again?  Probably.  My resting heart rate has been slowly but steadily trending down as I've challenged my cardiovascular system by getting ready for this.  It's a good thing and as much as my 38 minutes sucked, it was perfectly doable and the experience overall was one that I intend to repeat.  In spring when it's warm because BRRRR.

I'm moving my laptop to the bedroom tonight so I can work from bed in the morning while my legs curse my idiocy and while the option is still available.