6 mile days

With the students gone, I have been doing some serious mileage. Since graduation, I have averaged 5 mile days, a bit of a jump from my 2-mile days when the students were on campus. I have crossed some serious thresholds: 1000 miles and 2 million seconds. I am knocking on the door of 3 million steps and should knock that out before I head out of town on a conference. The warmer weather has brought new challenges as I had to find cooler clothing and comfier sandals. I have been able to go without my overhead light due to the fabulous nature light that pours through my office windows and the improved air flow of an open window is refreshing. It is hard to imagine that I have been following this routine fairly religiously for nearly nine months. I am excited to see what the next three will bring and to continue to evaluate my physical, emotional, and work well-being as I head in to the last three months, which will draw me toward my one-year treadmill desk anniversary!

2,000,000 steps and counting

Yesterday someplace between advising a student and adverting a graduation crisis, between my tenth cup of coffee and spilling my lunch on the floor, between a staff meeting and a budget meeting - I stepped my 2,000,000th step since my journey began.  It occurred without ceremony or fanfare, without balloons or fireworks, without sweat or tears.  As I knocked out another 45 push-ups on my quest to 15,000 by years' end, I recognized that I have learned to feed my body, brain and heart in a way that will continue to fuel it for strength, success, and peace.

Four days and feeling less like a zoo animal

Yesterday I was walking in the later part of the afternoon/evening on my treadmill desk, when I noticed some shadows of folks outside of my window. I'm sure they didn't see me or if they did, certainly didn't care -- but it creeped me out enough that I drew the blinds. I felt too much like a zoo animal, but it wasn't enough to stop my walk. A docking station with monitor, keyboard, and mouse have been ordered for my office, but since the items have yet to arrive, the treadmill desk set-up is the best option in terms of ergonomics. But by mid-day today the zooiness (is that a word?) of yesterday seemed to be diminishing. As a campus tour cruised by, I kept right on trekking, knowing full well that at least one parent took a double take. My sense of productivity, whether real or imagined, is palpable. Syllabi, one training camp schedule draft, two letters, and one advisee questionnaire written, along with 5 advisee folders read; sprinkled in with advisee meetings, impromptu visits, and other office work - I feel like I am running, not walking, ahead of the game. I am sure the onset of the semester will knock me back in to reality. I am happy, for now, to stroll along @ 1.4mph, but feeling as though I am sprinting along effortlessly at 7.0.

Steadiness of purpose

Thanks to my dear friend S and my sweet brother R, I am reminded to begin to think and engage in that age old tradition of making a resolution or two for the coming year.  Real Simple magazine (January 2009) suggests that rather than committing to do something (eat better, exercise more, stress less, etc.) that we should commit to NOT doing something (being consumed by things we cannot control, worry, obsess over our bodies, etc.)  So in that vein, I am working both sides of the resolution coin so to speak.  I looked up the etymology of the word resolution (I've resolved to let my inner geekdom shine forth in 2009) and settled on the following from which to guide my thinking: "Determination; firmness or steadiness of purpose; confidence; conviction, certainty, positive knowledge" (source: OED ).  I resolve to continue my sabbatical habits of moving while I work, which will allow me to be a positive force at work and at home.  I am resolving NOT to concern myself with the water that has already passed under the bridge.  I am also resolving to embrace my new job, responsibilities, surrounds, and co-workers.  I am also resolving NOT to forget where I've been and where I am going - this journey is only just beginning.

Ta-da & the 1st dress rehearsal

Last night as I was updating my tracking spread sheet, I realized that I would cross the 1M second mark in the last minutes of my evening desk work.  So rather than finishing last night, I cut my workout 1 second short of the milestone so that the very second I stepped on to my treadmill desk today I would have accomplished something great!  I wasn't sure how I would feel, but as I pushed the speed button and listened to the beeps as the treadmill ramped up and watched the first second tick off, I felt a rush of adrenaline.  1,000,000 seconds.  Dang that is a lot of work and workout.  277.77 hours of walking.  Although I have only put in one 8+ hour day, I anticipate that with my return to work in January that the second million might come more quickly.  Since, I have an appointment this morning at 9am (the same time I will start teaching in January), I thought I would run a dress rehearsal this morning and see how my mileage might be on a average day.  I had planned to get on the tread by 7:45am (see earlier posts), but didn't get on until a little before 8am. Since I have to drive to my appointment, rather than walk across campus, I will have to jump off a bit earlier than I will when I return to campus.  My plan is to be working at the treadmill desk when I am not at an appointment, lunch, or afternoon meeting.  This should be pretty close to what an average day will look like when I return to work.  I will report the mileage in a post later this week.

The other side of the wall

What a delight to be on the other side of the wall and the feeling of satisfaction of pushing through my wall last night!  That, coupled with my weekly progress report, has reminded me that if I continue to stay on track, I will continue to move steadily toward my goals.  December 23 is shaping up to be an exciting day as I hopefully complete my revised goal of 500 miles and also cross the 1,000,000 seconds of walking mark.  Between now and then I have at least three winter holiday parties to attend and I am excited about picking out something to wear and show off the renovated me!  I have finished my sabbatical work, so the time I am putting in now on my treadmill desk will be paying it forward in to the spring semester -- syllabi planning, lecture notes, future article ideas, etc.  The thing I am most excited about upon my return is the response of my colleagues and campus friends to my new desk.  I am hoping to hit the office by 7:45am and put in a full hour prior to my 9am class.  I have noticed that the use of the treadmill desk in the morning has also reduced my coffee intake to a manageable level (read: able to drink enough water to balance the caffeine intake).   I am excited to take these new habits back to work and to inspire others to adopt similar commitments to a self-renovation project.

The list of things I can do while walking...

and working on my treadmill desk continues to grow.  Last week I hand sewed tiny little leaf shaped buttons on to a curtain I was making for my mother-in-law's new place.  Sixty little buttons in all.  Sure, it would probably have taken less time sitting in a chair and I had to be really careful not to mess the curtain up in the tread, but in the end it was a rewarding walk.  On the day after Christmas, I walked quietly and thought through all the decorations I had stashed under the stairs to come up with what I think is a fairly good display for our debut on the Christmas Homes tour.  Today I updated the address list for our annual Christmas, affixed all the labels, and then stuffed the cards. As I look forward to my return to work in January, I know that the greatest challenge will likely come in grading exams.  I have yet to be able to write a hand written note that doesn't look like it was forged by my eight year-old.  But like anything I have undertaken thus far aboard the tread, I suppose it might only be a matter of time before I might master such a skill.   I am hoping by the time Christmas rolls around I will be able to write legibly enough to practice while writing my thank you cards.  In looking back to the "Clean out the turkey" post (11/6), I am quite thrilled with how on-task I am (now if I could just figure out how to run the recycling to the recycling center from the sanctity of my treadmill desk life would be great.)  My youngest son has even pulled up one of the high stools to work on homework at the desk.  The picture above (of our mantle) clearly illustrates the sense of calm I have with less than 50 days until my sabbatical returns - filled with peace and joy.

Kicking off Monday in foggy style

As I do a quick warm up on the tread desk, I thought I would update my progress report (see right column) and my map.  I am so close to Rimmy Jims, which marks my original goals.  Clearly, with 50+ days to go until my sabbatical is over I will easily surpass the 390 mile mark.  In fact, I will do it this morning when I once again hit the asphalt with friend K for a walkabout town and a cup of joe.  It is a crazy foggy morning, but I find myself filled with satisfaction, happiness, and a huge sense of accomplishment.  We decorated the house yesterday to prepare for a month-long celebration of the Christmas season.  I feel that I have arrived at a point where the daily ins and outs of life are no longer stressful, but welcomed - where the future is filled with potential and the days with good memories.  Happy walking everyone!