EndorphinGirl™ is still trying to come up with her next endorphin-plan! In thinking this through she has been reminiscing, okay well maybe not reminiscing, but thinking about how she came to be endorphin-focused. Mostly she has been active in some sport capacity since childhood. However, it is probably only in the past 10 years that the EndorphinGirl™ status really kicked in. And as she may have blogged earlier, she was EndorphinGirl™ before she knew she was EndorphinGirl™. While it probably 'officially’ started back then, the name only kicked-in in the recent year.
Back then, EndorphinKids started to spend a good part of their summer away in the land of reindeers and midnight sun and salmiaki. This left EndorphinGirl™ with some serious time on her hands. So she tried each year to come up with an endorphin-focused summer plan. The first and most significant one she had was in the summer of 2005 when she summited Mt. Rainer.
The genesis of that climb stemmed from two programs EndorphinGirl™ watched on TV. The first program was in 2001, which was a segment about Liv Arnesen and Ann Bancroft, respectively a Norwegian and American female polar explorer who became the first women in history to sail and ski across Antarctica’s landmass completing a 94-day, 1,717-mile (2,747 km) trek. Now if they aren’t EndorphinGirl™s! EndorphinGirl™ remembers day-dreaming that someday she would do such a trek.
The second program that inspired the Mt. Rainer climb was a 60 Minutes segment back in 2004 about a sports professional who planned to climb Mt. Rainier in honor a special reason. A good part of his ascent and descent were filmed, and EndorphinGirl™ became intrigued not only by the sports professional who summited Mt. Rainier but also by the amazing camera crew who tagged along filming it. She thought she could do that climb too and began her training in December 2004. It entailed 6+ months of consistent and sometimes inconsistent outside activity, including early rising before the kids to run down/up the 9 flights of stairs to her 9th floor apartment at 6.00 a.m. three times a week and/or the all-weather-walking to/from work and/or weekend jogging only (no time otherwise) with EndorphinSon bike riding or roller skating in tandem and/or some other random or not so random exercise regimen. This continued until she was as ready as she would ever be and took off for Washington State in July 2005 to summit the mountain. And that she did! A simply amazing endorphin-experience!
More summers with ‘time on her hands’ came and she had the chance, with and sometimes without proper training, to do a number of other endorphin-adventures. These included the Sandy Hook Danskin triathlon and Kripalu yoga and kayaking weekend among others. One of her most proud endorphin-adventures one summer was learning how to horseback ride with Jack Steel. This was rather significant because EndorphinGirl™ has never been a ‘pet’ or ‘animal’ person. She likes animals, but she is not fond of them living in her surroundings. (Everyone has something!). In fact Jack Steel, a superb horse rider, no doubt was concerned making the first horse-back riding introduction having a year prior witnessed EndorphinGirl™ shy away from the beautiful horse creatures, even upon a sweet greeting from a Vermont horse! The first official horse-back riding introduction was however beautiful. It was creature love at first sight. The horse was called Bugs, and for one week EndorphinGirl™ and Bugs rode out West on a beautiful ranch in Montana. Jack Steel was there very happily riding Buck. While EndorphinGirl™’s riding progresses at the same speed as her skiing does!! she nevertheless tremendously enjoys the endorphin-horse encounters out West with Jack Steel!
EndorphinKids are growing and spend less summer time in the land of the midnight sun, however EndorphinGirl™ tries to continue some endorphin-focused summer event. And now they sometimes even join her. As in the case of this past May with the half-marathon completion; also an endorphin-enhancing high. EndorphinGirl™ really had no prior interest to do any type of marathon running. Yet she was inspired by EndorphinDaugther and loved the experience of the half-marathon and of doing it with daughter!
Blogging the aforementioned is generating ideas for EndorphinGirl™ about what is next. In this 99 0 Fahrenheit weather she is truly contemplating that an Antarctica trek is the way to move forward with her endorphin-plan. However, maybe she will be a little less aggressive with her planning and keep the thinking going for just a little longer and report back later. But she is getting itchy to have a plan so something is sure to firm up soon! Stay tuned.
Today's image post is courtesy of EndorphinDaughter - the love creature!
Meanwhile, guest comments always welcome in guestbook and keep on endorphin’.
EndorphinGirl™
Print 