Friday, May 30, 2008

My CIVILIAN Leg

I make distinctions between lots of things in life based on whether it is related to athletes or sports in general, or if it is more closely linked with the general population who are not part of the athletic world. I call the others civilians. For example, if I happen to go on a date with a guy who has a normal-ish job, something 9 to 5 like, I say, “I went out with a civilian.” The reason being, there is a very obvious difference to dating civilians and dating athletes so it’s necessary that I make note of that distinctive point, before say…their name. I group my friends this way as well.

This separation goes beyond people though. For example, I know plenty of people who diet, and they go on what I call civilian diets. I diet to an extent as well for part of the year, except my non-civilian diet is usually quite different. It has nothing to do with quantities. I will never in my life COUNT A CALORIE. You get the point. The list goes on and on from sleeping habits, to traveling, to beverage choice, and everything in between.

Anyway, all this to say that right now I have a civilian right leg. It’s the weirdest thing and it looks like it belongs on a different body because the left leg stayed pretty strong and muscular. The right one however, is not only noticeably smaller and less defined, it’s also SQUISHY. A male friend a while back pointed out to me how different track legs were compared to the legs of regular females and I had never really given it much thought until then, but after that I knew it was another difference to add to the list. Of course I don’t go around sticking my finger into people’s quads but I do know that my own legs stay pretty solid…until now. And even though the past week in the weight room has brought it back to life a bit, I still flex it and am able to push my finger in it. I don’t know that I am that fond of the Pillsbury dough-ness of it all. I’ve always maintained that I will gladly lose a bit of the “hard body” once I’m done running and it’s not a necessity, but I’m thinking it might be in my best interest to never give up the squats, lunges, etc.

13 comments:

anonymousnupe said...

Given how much harder it is to "get back in shape" as opposed to "staying in shape," especially when you're ancient like me, no, don't ever stop unless you absolutely have to.

And you know a post like this warrants before-and-after pictures!!

Anonymous said...

$2000.00 for the before and after pics. nupe....let the bidding begin.

I had my leg in a cast from the knee down. my "civilian" leg...LOL...became a toothpick with hair. sorry for the visual...at least the leg is coming back to life and you're getting closer to getting yourself ready for trials.

Oscar.

Anonymous said...

i got a civilian belly..lol i love gin & tonic and a huge piece of beef daily and what i do for a living has me up allllllll night long and i sleep til 12pm everyday--so even though i don't work from 9 to 5pm--am i a civilian--i mean i drink eat and party for a living!

Anonymous said...

Keep in my mind that those civillians you speak quite dismissively of might be busy raising families, finding a cure for cancer or educating our young people. Trivial stuff like that.
I used to be a top athlete myself and the one thing I do not miss is the insular and self absorption that athletes have either out of necessity or just cos they like it that way.
I love learning about things outside of my sport (still one of my biggest passions).
I hope when you leave the sport you can open to your eyes to the value all have-squishy legs and all.

Brianna said...

Oh for the love God...seriously?! First of all it is obvious you don't know me and don't get my fantastic sense of humor. So maybe I can't fault you for commenting as if I'm totally serious and am absolutely that self absorbed...except I would think you could give me the benefit of the doubt. Because...seriously?!

anonymousnupe said...

Bid?! Oscar, me and Bri go wwwaaaaayyyyy back, man (weeks!). I think she might just post the pics on her blog just for my eyes only!

Anonymous said...

Hmmm...well I am sure your "civilian" leg is still better than most "civilians" legs in general...LOL!

Hey, after your career in track, you should come on over to competitive bodybuilding and give it a whirl!

:::Marcus LANGFORD:::

Anonymous said...

sounds like a "red flag" that you'll get fat really soon after you stop competing.

Brianna said...

I don't know what the heck I've done to deserve such fantastic commenters lately. Lucky me.

Unfortunately, no I will probably not get fat. I will get scrawny and have no curves. Sorry to disappoint.

Anonymous said...

I hope you get fat!

Anonymous said...

Ms. Glenn,
I, for one, am glad you DO write about yourself and the experiences unique to what you’re accomplishing. If I wanted to read someone else’s boring “Broader View of Life, the Universe and Everything”, well, I don’t. I want to read about Brianna. I want to laugh thinking about “civilian’s” or jungle-print bathing suits or the guy’s who had the girls pay for the dinner date (and then came back for what they left, lol!).
Don’t try to even understand those whose grasp on things is so narrow they can’t figure out what you’re doing here or catch on to the wit of what you write. Only someone with absolutely no class (or still living in their Mom’s basement) would be so crass as to suggest you’ll get fat. Please ignore them. As much for us as for yourself.
Daniel.
P.S. And guy’s, no slobbering for her pictures, OK?

Jackie E. said...

Hey Bri, I think I forgot to mention just how quickly that leg goes "squishy". You know how big and muscular my big ol'leg is and that thing went to mush within 1 and a half days of having my knee surgery. Who knew?? It's quite sad that 10+ years of work could all fall by the wayside at the drop of a dime, lol!! Oh well, you'll get it back sooner than later I'm sure.

And, man I guess some people just don't get your sense of humor. Oh well, the rest of us do, so don't even worry about it.

Anonymous said...

This is hilarious Bri! Now you know how I feel about my once-very solid-but-currently-very-soft butt (I hate it). Hopefully my new work out routine will help me out.