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.
More beach. Too bad there's not some GIANT structure somewhere around here, like say, a big long BRIDGE, that I can use to sight off of...
Mistress of all sports Sandy, left, and me, at Sandy Point. (photos courtesy Sandy C.)
You've seen the "Elaine dance"? This is the "Elaine swim."
Awww. Weetle baby ducks!
Cantlers, where I had the best crabcake of my life. THANK GOD FOR JON without whom none of this would have been possible.
My nemesis, Jon. I never had a nemesis before!
You would NOT believe the inspiring views you get in triathlon! My peep Casey shows us some. (photos courtesy Sheriece M.
