Saturday, June 07, 2008

Joy Vs. Sloth

My two close buddies. Who's winning?

Saturday morning was pure joy. It was spectacular, despite the fact that the humidity was 120% and the heat index near 100F.

It was brick time at Haine's Point with my new triathlete peeps. On the agenda: Bike: 1 hour 30 minutes, run 15 minutes.

As I was driving to the Point at 7:30, I saw all the marathon running groups out—and the runners already all looked like death on a stick. I seriously hoped that they'd been out running since 6 a.m., and not, like since 7:15.

I rode with J and she taught me about 50 different things about biking and triathlons. Like how to keep my cadence up (or down) and how to turn corners (inside knee up and out), how to shift and when, and how to turn the pedals (seriously--you use a "scraping" motion toward the bottom of the circle. Who knew?)

Despite the fact that the humidity that was so thick you couldn't see the Potomac River 50 feet away through it, it was heaven.

Cuz on the bike? You make your own breeze! Plus? You're sitting down! It's all good!

I attended a nutrition clinic put on by the club on Thursday night, and I don't remember everything but I DO remember the nutritionist saying 24 oz of fluid every hour. (Can that be right?) Whatever. I went to the bike store Friday night and bought a second water bottle cage, like all the Big Kids have, and in a fit of superior bike mechanic skills, attached it myself. Right. Side. Up.

Go me.

So we did 21.6 miles (almost a marathon!) in 1 1/2 hours. And then there was the run, which was sucky, but only lasted 15 minutes. Just call me Jeanne "I can do anything for 15 minutes" McCann.

This was the joy part. I look forward to Saturday mornings all week long (even as I continue to make myself sick with anxiety each Friday night. Some things never change). I get to hang with a terrific group of people, and pretend to talk smack. (Look! I'm already someone's 'inspirational nemesis'. Ha ha. Watch your back, buddy.)

I meet someone new every week and they are unfailingly the most fun, encouraging bunch I have ever met. I get to talk tri stuff ad nauseum with people who don't roll their eyes.

I get to leave work and worries far far behind.

It's joy. Pure and simple!

I remember Saturdays when I was marathon training. I would come home after a three- hour run and would be seriously useless for the rest of the day. If not the weekend. But this training doesn't physically render me useless. In fact, I felt pretty damn good after I got home and downed some chocolate milk for my recovery drink.

Until I remembered that a) I don't drink milk, and b) I'm off sugar!

Sigh.

I spent the rest of Saturday in a veritable orgy of sloth, (and I'm blaming the chocolate milk), on the couch, where I watched every single episode of...wait for it...

MAN VS. WILD
!

From which show I learned how to eat spiders and slugs, build a fire with a flint, scale a flat rock face by stovepiping, avoid a flash flood, tell the difference between freshwater and saltwater crocodiles, when and whether to drink your own pee...need I go on?

The premise of the show is that the host, Bear Grylls (could that possibly be his real name?), international man of mystery, gets dropped in all sorts of inhospitable places, like say, the Australian outback (not the restaurant) and then has to survive using only his wits. This is supposed to help YOU, the viewer, just in case you ever find yourself stuck in the Australian outback during the dry season out of water. And food. And you don't happen to have a film crew with you.

A little more about the Bear:
In June 2005, Bear broke a world record by hosting a dinner party at a table suspended below a hot air balloon at 24,500 feet. He rappelled from the balloon's basket to the table, where in full naval uniform he ate a three-course meal before saluting the queen and skydiving to earth. His goal was to support the work of two charities: the Prince's Trust and the Duke of Edinburgh's Award.
(Dude, write a check next time!)

It's oddly...addictive.

So, no joke, I watched it all day. Except for when I took a break to ... NAP. Then I woke up and watched some more.

Finally I went to bed.

Tally:
Joy 20%
Sloth 80%

Bear, I'm sorry to break it to you, but I might have to revisit how we spend our time together.

20 comments:

21stCenturyMom said...

I'm really glad you got so much out of the bike ride/run session because Bear is full of ..well.. bear poop!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzxsqkxHDVQ

but he's kind of hot so you're excused.

Danielle in Iowa in Ireland said...

I'd totally marry Bear, but who wants to kiss a guy who would eat maggots?

peter said...

Sounds like you had a great day with a wonderful bunch of people.

a.maria said...

you also failed to mention bear's SMOKING HOT! duh.

Jade Lady said...

Sounds like a great group of people to tri train with! Congrats on getting the bottle attached - and upright at that! I couldn't do it!

As for Bear, I always find my hub watching it - I can't say I'm too fascinated with watching a hot guy eat worms and bugs and do all these crazy things. He's too crazy for me!

Anonymous said...

I don't mean to dis any of your new bfs but I've read on TV that Bear is a fraud and your spin instructor should have told you long ago about the "scrape" at the bottom of the circle..."like you're trying to get gum off your shoe" I've been told by my spin instructor.
Other than that, my dear, you are livin'and lovin' life and that makes all of us happy!

Vickie said...

I think you will find as time goes on, that even though after biking your run will suck big time for a while (or maybe all the time), you will recover faster and your fitness level will improve without having to pound the pavement for hours on end.

ShirleyPerly said...

Great that you have a group to train with! I don't get to train with my club very often but love the camaraderie the few times I do. And I gotta say that I love cycling a whole lot more than running on hot & humid days. One of these days I really should learn how to pedal correctly, LOL!

Rainmaker said...

I laze around afterwards as well. It's amazing how a few hours later I realize I've accomplished nothing. Awesome.

And go team-chocolate milk - it really does help!

Rae said...

Way to go!! You are so funny! I think there's some big thing that Bear is a total fake and they give him all sorts of food and things off camera. I don't know, maybe if you Google it or something...

Rich said...

I like Bear because he doesn't pretend that the crap he eats tastes good. He once remarked that the insides of some kind of mud crab tasted like baby poop. What a straight up dude - so what if he drinks his own piss?

Rhea said...

It's so interesting that doing three sports leaves you more refreshed than just running! Hmmmm. I am starting to bike to work 1-2 days a week (only 14 miles roundtrip) and I do like the bike. I really like swimming too. But just thinking about having to run, bike AND swim ... plus practice piano, write, etc., makes me exhausted!

LBTEPA said...

OOOooooh how cool to be an inspirational nemesis... IF it were me I'd trot about the place going MWAHAHAHA!!!!
Cycling is so much more forgiving than running, you're so right - so long as you keep up the water! I drink one bottle an hour + at least 200 calories of gel/gatorade/food. You're so lucky with your club :) I'm too scared to join one after the smacking I got from Transitions last summer :( also there's so little una llocated time, oh well!
I love vanilla protein powder, water and a spoonful of yoghurt as a post-workout drink mmmm

Deene said...

entertaining post, i'll have to find Bear on youtube. running group/sport camraderie is great.

iJuls said...

Or we could call you "Jeanne I-Can"

Nice job!

Sunshine said...

I vote for the "joy" part, but that's just me. Glad you en-joyed!!

Susan said...

I am soooooo gonna Tri like Jeanne!

David said...

"You make your own breeze! Plus? You're sitting down! It's all good!"


Why runners are tougher than bikey-types.

Judi said...

That show I have seen once. This guy I dated a few times liked it. I did not. Like him, or the show. LOL.

Good job training Jeanne!

Black Knight said...

It is important to have such a nice group to train with. You will never be bored and the workouts are always funny.