Real sports

Jumping- photo from horsejunkiesunited.com

I finally got to see a bit of the equestrian competitions. It's hard to believe it took me this long to find time to do it, but I was glad there were a few nice recorded videos of both cross country and jumping. For some really fabulous commentary on what has taken place, take a look at this blog: Horse Junkies United It's one of the best blogs around, even for those not into horses! By the way, I'm really pissed off at this guy on facebook who implied that dressage isn't a sport, because a 71-year old man is competing. If you're going to rip on a sport just because an older individual is participating, remember first that a 64-year old man won gold in archery in the early 1900's, and a 53-year old woman won gold in that same event.

I would love to tell this guy who thinks dressage isn't a real sport to get on a horse and merely walk for 40 minutes. I bet he would be very sore after that, and then maybe he would shut up about it. I'm not into taking a stand with people who are so naive. It's not worth it to point out to someone who clearly isn't thinking things through that certain sports require a tremendous amount of skill while others require more strength. At least he left jumping and cross country out of his put down, but what he probably doesn't realize is that dressage riders work for years and years to perfect their style. It's an exercise that actually requires both strength and skill. The leg strength of any elite rider is usually pretty impressive. In this SPORT, it's more about the horse, but the rider has to be able to get the horse to perform. They have to be able to move together. In that sense, both the horse and the rider have to be athletes. I will note too, even though it's unrelated, that equestrian is the only Olympic event in which men and women compete on an even playing field and together. Anyway, check out the Horse junkies United blog, because it is so well done. The bloggers obviously know their subject matter. The pictures are amazing, and the writing is great. You will love it!

Dressage

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Threatening yarn

Has anyone been following the controversial Ravelympics? Apparently, the IOC got pretty upset when some knitters wanted to have their version of the Olympic games. I think if I were an Olympic athlete competing in the games, I probably wouldn't be offended if someone wanted to call their yarn evens the Ravelympics. Who's to say that these knitters haven't spent countless hours perfecting what they do? I can't knit, so maybe that's why I feel this way. I sort of get the outrage, but I think the grumpy letter written to the knitters was a bit extreme and very unkind.



I missed the women's marathon, but I don't think I will watch it. I did catch the men's 10,000, and wow I was glad I did! What a finish. It's still hard for me to watch running races. I noticed that it is getting a little bit easier to follow the men though. The speed of these athletes is just unreal! In time, I will probably be able to watch more of the women's events without getting that sick feeling in my stomach. I gotta keep letting go of resentment and regret and accept both my past and where I am now.

men's 10,000

I'm slightly embarrassed that I was sore and tired (and a little cranky) all week after my little track adventure. Wow. I really need to figure out a way to recover more quickly after those kinds of efforts. I did do a nice tempo run on the trails on Saturday, not going hard but not slacking too much either. It was a little bit cooler Saturday, and I even ended up needing a t-shirt, despite leaving later in the morning. Today I'm going to be hitting the heat, because I slept in late. It's my day off from my main job, so I took advantage. The other job-related things I need to do can wait. I'll be leaving the tee behind and carrying water today, no doubt. 

I'm bumming, because I left my little green spiky rehab ball where I was house-sitting. I seem to do better if I can roll my foot around on it for a bit before heading out on a run. I'll have to use something else until I can get it again, but I'm definitely feeling like something is missing. 

Well, I'm really just rambling today. I'll have to write something more interesting later this week. I will say that this month is the month my agent will be sending out my revised manuscript and proposal, probably toward the end of the month. If anyone wants to send some positive vibes, encouraging a publisher to take a chance with my work, I would very much appreciate it. I so want my book to be published this year. It has been a LONG wait. 

Oh! And wow that was so cool to see the landing on Mars! WooHoo!! Why this wasn't on the front page of our local paper is beyond me, but I guess a story on the use of fresh manure was more important. At least they have updated their online page to make note of this event. 

Image from Mars!