The plan

To find one's crazy, I realize one has to try new things.  So it is my intention to try a minimum of two new things per month until I find some activity that elevates my participation from, "ya, I tried that once" to "you're crazy" status.  The way I will know when I achieve this is when a person's response to hearing about my passion for this new hobby or obsession is, "you're crazy!"  I know this because as Dan was discovering his crazy for running, my response was and often still is, "you're crazy!"  Whether it be because he is registered for two marathons within 4 weeks of each other or because he set his alarm for 4:30am, not to watch the royal wedding live, or to catch an early flight, but to get a 17 mile run in before he went to work!  The only logical response to these things from someone that does not share his crazy is that he is in fact, you got it, "crazy!"

Last summer I tried a couple of new things including paint class and guitar lessons.  Needless to say neither one stuck.  Paint class was very fun.  I especially enjoyed the starving artist instructor and the fact that he could come to work in an outfit that very closely resembled pajamas.  The only problem was he would throw together a painting in less than 5 minutes that far surpassed my feeble attempt to paint the same glass bottle.  This, for my competitive side, was not pleasing to me.  Granted, he went to graduate school and honed in on his craft for no doubt hundreds of hours, maybe even thousands and surely thousands of dollars, but I wanted to find some amazing, hidden talent, that unfortunately, was too hidden for a 6 week class to uncover.


Then there was guitar class.  I played piano and violin as a kid, so I thought surely I'd take to the guitar without any problems.  And I really did enjoy it, I especially enjoyed that my teacher encourage us to bring booze to help us relax and feel the music.  But my practical side wasn't sure where I would use these skills.  Will I sit in the subway with my open guitar case and play for people who had to be there to catch a train, hoping for a couple of bucks?  Will I find out I'm amazingly talented and find myself at House of Blues playing in a band?  Will I start to play in the park and attract an audience?  None of these options seemed likely, so I didn't sign up for the next level class.


I did learn one thing from these failed attempts at finding crazy last year.  I need to put my competitive side and practical side to rest.  My crazy will be developed out of something I enjoy!  My crazy doesn't have to hang on the wall or have an audience.  I realize that now and am ready to open my mind to my crazy!  


Up next: June picks!

The inspiration

My painting

Instructor's painting - literally, 5 minutes!

Where it all began: Chapters 1-4 and what it all means

Chapter 1: It began with a decision for my city mouse husband to move to Denver, CO.  Who knew that my pizza loving, bubble butt, baseball player boyfriend would end up my lean, mean running machine husband!   (The pizza has stuck around, but the bubble butt has since disappeared.) 

Chapter 2: Dan bought a bike.  Dan decided to ride his bike.  Dan worked up to riding his bike 18 miles round trip to work and home everyday.  

Chapter 3: When we moved from Denver back to his hometown of Chicago, the opportunity came up for him to run the Chicago Marathon.  Dan ran, but not as much as he biked.  He decided he could do it and trained for the three weeks he had prior to the race.  Dan ran that race.  His time was: 4:40:04.  Dan then hurt for about six months after the race due to the brevity of his training program.  Dan then decided he could do better.  

Chapter 4: During all of this bike riding, running madness, Dan reached his goal weight and as a result, seems to be in the best shape of his life.  Dan ran the 2010 Chicago Marathon and came in at 4:05:59.  Just a little too close to completing the race under four hours.  So, like anyone who claims that their crazy is running, he registered for the 2011 Chicago Marathon in hopes to see a 3 at the beginning of his time.  And as if that wasn't enough, he also entered the lottery for the NYC Marathon.  Guess what?  He was picked!  So not only will he be running 26.2 miles in Chicago, but a mere four weeks later, he'll be taking a 26.2 mile tour of NYC on his two feet.

What it means: I am exceedingly proud of my former bubble butt husband.  He has worked so hard and as he puts it, he has "found his crazy".  I am his biggest cheerleader, but while cheering him on and supporting him, (even when I roll my eyes and wonder if he can get any more lean as he leaves for yet another session at the gym), I realize I don't have a crazy, (because I'm guessing wine and manicures don't count), and I want one.  His determination and self motivation is something I admire and I am taking on the challenge to find my own crazy.   It may not be something that whittles my frame to its' absolute leanest, but I'm searching for just some of that passion that has motivated him to commit to running two races totaling  54.4 miles within a month.  I've created this blog as a way to hold myself accountable to find my crazy as he blogs about his.

A happily married woman's journey to find her own crazy.