Monday, November 24, 2008

Wish I was a little bit taller...

What? I know, it seems a strange thing to say--taller? Me? But recent events have come to shed new light on my so-called height--none of which I was originally planning to admit. But last night's basketball game at the CAC, the last game of the regular season (We lost. Badly. Again.), got me to thinking about this song, a favorite of a high school buddy.

As I go into this week's Tuesday playoff game, I admit to being torn: on the one hand, I'm ready to focus on running...and the Sunday/Tuesday random game night has been wearing on my poor attempts at scheduling. I'm ready to remove basketball, and replace it with true cross-training and strengthening--last year's attempts to play basketball two nights a week as cross-training having lead to a full week's hiatus from running as I rested an aching knee. On the other hand...I feel like kicking a little ass. This conflicts with my desire to (of course) get to the gym an hour early to get in a quick loop around the river and some lunges and push-ups. (Note to self: Remember that pushups before games lead to even more airballs than usual.)

In any event, wish the Hoosier Daddy Remastered team luck in tomorrow's game--playing one of several stacked teams in the league, we'll have our work cut out for us.

Back to the original topic. In high school, playing hoops, I was the tallest girl on my team. In my high tops (you know we all wore them, me with mascot-emblazoned knee socks--which I wore to work today under my slacks, ironically), I stood perfectly between 5'11" and 6'0". My coach usually left it up to me what height I wanted to be on the game program. I imagine that the girls I'd been playing against for four years wondered how it was I suddenly shrank an inch my senior year.

Two years ago, I went for my annual checkup, and was told...that my supposed long legs only took me up to 5'10". WHAT?! All my life, I had been living a lie! Later I calmed down enough to realize that one measurement was certainly not conclusive evidence that I was in fact shrinking. I could sleep again, secure in the knowledge that there had surely been an error.

Until last year, when I was told--again--that I was only 5'10". Dammit.


Slowly, though, through the power of running, at last snatching up my mate, and overconsumption of alcohol, I came to terms with my newfound short stature.

Most would agree it could hardly get worse, but it did--as only two weeks ago, I had my exam, and found out that not only had my blood pressure gone up, I had shrunk again--as was only about 5'9-1/2". And I may have rounded up to get that 1/2".

Crap. At this rate, I'll be knee high when my gigantic children reach puberty.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I was 5'6" for years. Then, about 7 years ago when having a physical (perhaps it's the stress of being in the doctor's office, the height equivalent of "white-coat" high blood pressure), imagine my surprise when I was told I was only 5'5". Suddenly I had to weigh less too, to accompany my new-found shorter stature. Alas, it seems we lose only the height inches, rather than pounds.

Perhaps its all the running; possibly you have just compacted with all the pounding?

Brenda said...

Wanna go for a run? Hanging out with me is enough to remind anyone of how tall they are :) Or need I evoke the picture from Falmouth?

I'm with your mom on the compacting bit. Seems logical!

Anonymous said...

Getting shorter year by year
It's a shame you let yourself go my dear;
57 years old I'm still the same,
'course a hair piece replaced my curly mane.
I'm lean and mean and pretty trim,
Except a girdle holds my belly in.
I can hear a pin drop a block away,
IF I have my hearing aid in that day.
I can smile like the devil when I'm out on date, as long as I remember to wear my plate.
The eyes are sharp; I see just fine; my glasses aren't bifocals - just a funny line.
I still stand the same - a solid 6 feet; course the lifts in my shoes are quite unique.
Keeping in shape is a worthy cause; just look at me - I'm the same as I always was.

JROD said...

That was awesome!