Identity

I have identified myself using a small variety of words up to this point in my life. Girl, student, dj, waitress, horseback rider, bored boring admin, recreational but hopeful bike racer, and snob. I think that about covers it. And I still adhere to some of these identities, for example girl and snob.

Anyway.

Suddenly, somehow, I realize that I now identify myself as an Athlete. This identity has developed only over the last couple of months, during which time I have completed some of my most intense workouts ever on the bike, I have begun running again, and I have put my body through the proverbial wringer at the gym. What's come out of this, what I see in the mirror as I stretch screaming muscles, is a body that can be called an athlete without pretense and without too much room for argument. Unless you count the 5 lbs I am supposed to lose before March, that is.

Ah dieting bike racers... this weekend at a holiday cookie exchange party, standing amidst lemon bars and ginger snaps and almond crescents and snickerdoodles and numerous other powdered sprinkled chocolated nutty stickinesses, the host and I discussed the Paleo diet. At length. And, furtively, I ate a total of 3 cookies in the span of 2 hours. Gotta save my holiday calories for egg nog on the East Coast this weekend!