My Achilles Heel

In ancient Greek mythology, a baby named Achilles was born. Upon his arrival into the world, it was foretold that he would die young in battle. His mother, like any mother would, wanted to protect him, so she dipped him in the River Styx to coat him with its powers of invincibility. Achilles was untouchable; nothing could harm him. There was only one spot on his body that was exposed to danger; it was the spot where his mother held him to dip: His heel.

I live a fairly healthy lifestyle. Exercise, eat well, drink water... but we all have our Achilles heel, right? Wrong. I totally don't have an Achilles heel. I can do pretty much anything perfectly because I have never run into my...

Sugar.

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-4848/Sugar-Can-Make-You-Dumb.html

Alright, I admit it. I have a weakness. A big one.

It's sugar.

Chocolate especially. And cookies. Mmmmm cookies... like the ones at Taylor Creek.

Grrrrrr. Dumb sugar.

I could eat sugar breakfast, lunch, dinner and every minute in between.

But... a strange thing has been happening lately. Every time I eat sugar, strange things happen to me. This monster comes out. He wiggles my pupils around so I can't focus on anything. He sucks all of my energy out of me so suddenly I'm falling asleep. He doesn't care if I'm driving; he will still come out to mess with my body. I imagine that this monster is kinda furry... maybe blue in color with big, oogly-googly eyes. He probably talks funny and I have just chosen to ignore him for twenty-four years.

He may look cuddly, but when he latches onto you, he is not easy to get rid of

My Achilles heel monster has gotten the best of me. You suck, Achilles heel monster. What did I ever do to you? I kept you supplied with sugar, probably more sugar than you could ever have dreamed of, yet you torture me.

So you know what you get now, Achilles heel monster? You get a big, fat, stinking heaping of fruit and veggies. That's right, you heard me... or, maybe you heard the sound of my fingers on my keyboard. Either way, Mr. Monster, you are going down. Uh-huh, that's right. I'm going to starve you. No sugar. Not even organic.

Wahhh... even as I type this, I am regretting every word. Stupid monster. But, Mr. Monster, if you are going to behave this way, you must suffer the consequences. I can almost hear you yelping in the background, "I'm melting, I'm melting!" Well, melt away, you monster, you.

Starting tomorrow and lasting for as long as I can (hopefully until the end of September), I will not be partaking in the consumption of my weak link. I'm curious to see how that affects my training, which is really nonexistant at the moment, but will start up again shortly. Tomorrow I am attempting a portion of the Pacific Coast Trail (Three Fingered Jack), so I hope I can keep the energy and strength levels high while the fatigue and nausea stay at a minimum.

Dear Mr. Achilles Heel Monster,

I plan to do this hike alone. Please use this as an excuse to go on an extended vacation. Don't worry about writing; I know you'll miss me. 

All my best,

Miss Ashlee