I've still got it...

and apparently I have more of "it" than I thought!Those of you who have read much of this journal probably know that I'm not exactly prone to fits of self-confidence, so hopefully you will forgive this brief excursion into the land of "I'm All That".It has been a month and 6 days since FFS now, and I am sick and tired of sitting around on my ass not getting any exercise. Last weekend I actually got a ride to my car from a facilitator training meeting at the LGBT Center because I had to park three blocks away and got all winded just from walking to the building. Not good. So this morning, with the weather slightly overcast and pleasantly cool, I decided it was time to start hiking again. The first hike went pretty well, which was a bit of a surprise, so I decided to see how far I could get on a second hike. The answer turned out to be "all the way up and back down again", so while I was definitely dragging at that point, I decided to try for the full three climbs. No sweat. (Well, tons of sweat, actually, but it was definitely achievable.)That in and of itself would have been enough to make my day (after all, this was the first significant exercise I've gotten since early December), but two interesting events took place during the third climb that totally blew me away.About two thirds of the way up, I passed a trio of young women (late high school to early college, I'd guess) whom I had previously passed on my way down from the second climb. They apparently recognized me, because the following conversation ensued:Girl #1: Did you just go all the way down and come back up?Me: Actually, this is my third time.Girl #1: Whoa, you're crazy! (said in an impressed tone)Girl #2: (not having heard the exchange) Did she just come up again???Girl #1: Yeah! That's what I just said! This is her third time!As I rounded the turn at the next switchback, all three of them started chanting the opening music in the theme from Rocky, which nearly made me collapse in a fit of giggling, much to their amusement. Later on, while I was flopped out on a chunk of rock at the top trying to decide whether or not to die, the third girl walked by and - with a big old grin on her face - said "you rock!" It is strange to have gone so quickly from worrying that I won't be seen as female out in public to actually inspiring other women (which may sound a bit arrogant, but that really did seem to be the case).As context for the third anecdote, I should mention that I was hiking in boots, yoga pants and a sports bra, with a sweatshirt tied around my waste for camouflage and my t-shirt (to stay warm when I was stationary at the top) hanging down from the sweatshirt, so my stomach and lower back were totally uncovered. Well, on my way down from the third climb, I passed one particular group of guys, and one of them said "I like your six-pack!" Now, me being me, I naturally assumed initially that he was kidding, or maybe teasing me about having some extra weight, so I started laughing at the absurdity of the comment and just said "thanks" as I walked on by. After a few seconds, though, I realized that I really don't have enough extra weight for anybody to make a joke about it, and I also remembered that one of the youth from the LGBT Youth Center had been admiring my stomach (he's gay, so not like that) when I wore just a sports bra on top to a fund raiser car wash we held. That made me consider the possibility that this guy was actually hitting on me, and the more I thought about it, the more likely that explanation seemed. Then I got a little mad, actually, and I'm still trying to figure out if that was justified or not. His comment was certainly flattering and amusing, but - with no offense intended to the awesome guys that I know - being hit on by a random male stranger makes me feel somewhat uncomfortable and a little threatened. (Which doesn't change the fact that it was flattering, I'm sad to say. I am such a bad feminist!)Interesting times.