the perfect age - and proving it (again)
Somewhere along the way, I picked up the following quote -
“The perfect age is somewhere between old enough to know better and too young to care.”
I have been “that perfect age” for probably 20 years now. Maybe longer.
I don’t have enough time to tell you how many times I have thought to myself, “This is a bad idea, Kevin”, but went ahead and did it any way.
Beer has been involved in many of these instances.
But there are a lot of non-alcohol-induced instance of stupidity in my life as well. And no, I am not a stupid person. Quite the contrary. But I do have a habit of tackling projects that leave most people (including the occasional ER doctor) shaking their heads and asking “Why?”
So me agreeing what was supposed to be a 7+ hour training day in 100 degree weather shouldn’t have surprised anyone.
Yes, I knew that training in 100+ temps wasn’t good for me, but I really didn’t care. Nor did I complain (that much). I was just going to force myself to take it nice and easy…not push myself.
So here is how it went.
Swimming = easy, except for the choppy water and a few unplanned gulps of lake water. I like swimming. I could swim all day. But stopped after my hour was up.
Biking = steady. It was windy. It was hilly. Oh, did I mention it was 100+ outside. How hot was it really? My bike thermometer topped out at 115 on my last loop. We only did 40 miles, down from the 60 scheduled b/c of the heat. I was slower than I wanted to be (14.8 mph average – my race-day goal will be 16 mph) and was the last one to finish the bike portion. That didn’t bother me. I covered the distance. I wasn’t pushing myself and I was focusing on hydration, nutrition, and keeping from over-exerting myself in the heat. My goal was to get off the bikes feeling strong. It worked.
Running = slow. It was pushing 1:00 PM when I transitioned from bike to run. The sun was beating down on me. Conditions weren’t friendly. But I was feeling fine. No nausea. No wobbly legs. I wasn’t lacking energy. I was just moving slow. Run down the hills. Walk up. I was finishing up my first 2-mile loop and it was becoming evident that no one else was planning to do another loop (we were supposed to do 6 miles, down from the 16 scheduled). Part of me really wanted to keep going. I had the legs, the energy.
Really, I was averaging just under 14 minute miles for my first loop.
I could keep that up all day.
But didn’t. Like everyone else, I stopped after 2 miles.
And enjoyed one of the best tasting ice-cold peaches I have ever eaten.
Mmmmmm.
Fresh peaches are my favorite.
“The perfect age is somewhere between old enough to know better and too young to care.”
I have been “that perfect age” for probably 20 years now. Maybe longer.
I don’t have enough time to tell you how many times I have thought to myself, “This is a bad idea, Kevin”, but went ahead and did it any way.
Beer has been involved in many of these instances.
But there are a lot of non-alcohol-induced instance of stupidity in my life as well. And no, I am not a stupid person. Quite the contrary. But I do have a habit of tackling projects that leave most people (including the occasional ER doctor) shaking their heads and asking “Why?”
So me agreeing what was supposed to be a 7+ hour training day in 100 degree weather shouldn’t have surprised anyone.
Yes, I knew that training in 100+ temps wasn’t good for me, but I really didn’t care. Nor did I complain (that much). I was just going to force myself to take it nice and easy…not push myself.
So here is how it went.
Swimming = easy, except for the choppy water and a few unplanned gulps of lake water. I like swimming. I could swim all day. But stopped after my hour was up.
Biking = steady. It was windy. It was hilly. Oh, did I mention it was 100+ outside. How hot was it really? My bike thermometer topped out at 115 on my last loop. We only did 40 miles, down from the 60 scheduled b/c of the heat. I was slower than I wanted to be (14.8 mph average – my race-day goal will be 16 mph) and was the last one to finish the bike portion. That didn’t bother me. I covered the distance. I wasn’t pushing myself and I was focusing on hydration, nutrition, and keeping from over-exerting myself in the heat. My goal was to get off the bikes feeling strong. It worked.
Running = slow. It was pushing 1:00 PM when I transitioned from bike to run. The sun was beating down on me. Conditions weren’t friendly. But I was feeling fine. No nausea. No wobbly legs. I wasn’t lacking energy. I was just moving slow. Run down the hills. Walk up. I was finishing up my first 2-mile loop and it was becoming evident that no one else was planning to do another loop (we were supposed to do 6 miles, down from the 16 scheduled). Part of me really wanted to keep going. I had the legs, the energy.
Really, I was averaging just under 14 minute miles for my first loop.
I could keep that up all day.
But didn’t. Like everyone else, I stopped after 2 miles.
And enjoyed one of the best tasting ice-cold peaches I have ever eaten.
Mmmmmm.
Fresh peaches are my favorite.
posted by Kevin at 2:18 PM
1 Comments:
wow. wow. wow..... Wow. i can't even imagine doing that type of training, let alone, in the middle of the scorching day. there i was at 6am running a puny little 1.5 miles and sweating like crazy. way to go!!!
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