Working Hard

I went for a bike ride with my sister and her roommates the other day. 

I need to go for more bike rides.

Today’s Exploit:

I found a new workout. It is hard.

I have done it twice. And then I had to get ready to go back to work. 

It consists of 6 or 7 moves and lots of reps. And it is timed.

My favorite and least favorite one is the Knees to Elbows one.

You hang from a pull up bar and pull your knees up to touch your elbows. When they get there your back should be parallel to the floor.  

I have yet to do one properly.

The Big Update

I have acquired a new follower while I was away. Huh.

Also, the new version of Blogger is strange. 

Today’s Exploit:

It is hot here. Yesterday when I walked out of the trailer to go for my run I felt like I was stepping into the oven after baking some cookies. Texas likes to try to knock you off your feet every time you step out the door. 

In other news I have been running, swimming in the river with big rocks and scraping my knees, running, exploring San Marcos on my bicycle, running, writing English essays, running, being frustrated with school, running and baking in this horrible oven of a state. 

How long has it even been since I last posted? Probably years.

I am getting ready for my second half marathon, I will be running with my friend Catherine. It also means that I will be seeing my buddies Eli and Cavan and escaping the inferno for the moderate temperatures of Washington. Yay!

Pat Got a Bicycle

Last night I made creamy pesto pasta with balsamic chicken.  

Today’s Exploit:

After 2 days of running with me Pat decided he should start out with every other day.  

Then he decided he’d get a bicycle, so that he could work up to running every day.  It took him 2 .3 weeks to finally buy the bike he wanted.  

It spent another 3.4 days in the back of his truck and 2.7 in his bedroom.  I think it shared his bed.

But yesterday he took it out, and took the paper advertisements off the wheels.  And then he went outside.

When I went out to start my run, 5.3 minutes later, he was sitting by his truck.  

I guess he’d been waiting for me, because he grabbed the bike and followed me.  We got to the cattle gap (hehe) and I started running while he got on the bicycle.  

He decided that riding just behind me, so that I could barely see him in my peripheral vision, was a good place.  Not beside me, or ahead of me.  Just barely behind me.  He stayed there for 2 miles, until I had to walk a bit.  

I was ready to turn around, so he went on ahead.  

After a couple minutes of walking I got going back to the rig.  

The plus side of Pat riding just behind me was dropping 4 minutes of my normal 4 mile time.  That’s only 30 seconds from my target time per mile.  It also made the last mile really hard.

A Meeting Over Dumbbells

I find the following quote suits my dad, and my sister, and sometimes my mother.

A pun is the lowest form of humor, unless you thought of it yourself.
-Doug Larson

Today’s Exploit:

I met a boy.

I suppose technically he was a man, but I find that awkward to say.

But on to the details…

I was staying at a hotel in Louisiana for a class on Drilling Optimization. (I believe this was before the entire city shut down for the cold.) To avoid feeling lazy and as an excuse to escape my room I went to the gym, a room that consisted of a bicycle, two treadmills, an elliptical and a bench for free-weights.

On this particular night the room was inhabited. A guy was using the weights and I had to interrupt to get to one of the dreaded treadmills. After about 20.4 minutes of silence I did the unthinkable and initiated conversation. It was nothing terribly interesting, mostly about the weather and our respective reasons for staying at the hotel. But we talked off and on for the rest of the 39.6 minutes we were both in the room.

Not an extremely exciting event, but I was very proud of myself for overcoming my social awkwardness and talking to someone I’d never seen before and probably never will again.

Next step is talking to someone I might see tomorrow.

Bike Ride From Hades

Today I discovered the stats section of my blog. I can look at a map that shows me where people looking at my blog are, by country. I was under the impression that my parents, sister and maybe an aunt ready my blog.

I was flummoxed to discover that people from Canada, Australia and Denmark have read my blog. Also four people from Tunisia. I’m not sure where that is, but now I have to research it. And Luxembourg. I hope you people are enjoying my adventures.

It would be shocking to learn that I can make people outside my family laugh. Another thing that baffles me is: how in the world do you find MY blog? I’m certainly not advertising. All I can say is WOW.

Today’s Exploit:

During my holiday my dad decided we needed to go on a bicycle ride. Every night we’d say we should go the next day. But somehow it didn’t happen to nearly the last day. We finally got it together and went riding. Probably the only thing that got me back to the truck was the idea of homemade waffles.

We drove into the mountains and found a nice deserted dirt road that said: Dead End Ahead. Hoping that it was more that .173 miles to the dead end we got the bikes out and hopped on.

After .073 miles the road turned to a two track. (A little trail that has seen some four wheeling vehicles, but not safe for Mom’s Subaru or my baby Civic.) It was then that I found the first patch of sand. Sand is very difficult to ride in. The tires slide all over, and I have absolutely no control over direction. Rather like hydroplaning or sliding on ice.

But I made it through and went on to the first hill. This hill was nearly never-ending, and steep. I think we rode that way for 81.3 miles. We got to the top only to discover another hill, not quite as long, but covered in loose rocks. Rocks are just as treacherous as sand, and much more intimidating. I made it to the top to discover a fence, then a ridge that I had no desire to traverse. Maybe if I had rock climbing gear.

We turned around and went back down the scary, rocky hill to a fork in the road. We followed the fork to an even steeper, longer hill. We rode down that hill, through sand and rocks and ruts and side slopes until my hands were about to fall off from holding the breaks so tight. That hill was 103.8 miles long.

Then came the fun part. We got to turn around and go back up the mountain to get to the truck. It took me a long time to get started because I’m one of the biggest scaredy-cats anyone will ever meet on a bicycle. (I have scars to validate my reasons.) I had to find just the right place to get enough momentum to get my foot into the toe-clip, but not slide sideways into a ravine.

I finally got started and managed to ride 51.8 miles up the side of the cliff before my legs and lungs gave out. (I think it takes at least 47 days to get used to the altitude after living at sea level for most of a year.) The only thing that got me started again was the prospect of waffles.

This time I only made it .87 miles before I came to a slope that was covered with a combination of sand and rocks, and was nearly upside down it was so steep. So I decided to try to walk it. Unfortunately by this time my legs were approximately the consistency of warm rubber. I could hardly stand. But somehow I forged forward and made it up the hill. I even got my bike up there with me.

I finished the last 387 miles on the bike since it wasn’t quite as steep. I finally got to go down a gentle slope (it was much steeper on the way up) only to land in the most massive sand pit yet. I nearly ran into a forest of thistles, but stopped in the nick of time.

I dragged myself the last 3 miles to flop in the truck and ride back like an abused rag doll. I dreamt of waffles the whole way. They would be heavenly, with buttermilk and homemade chokecherry syrup. It’s one of the most amazing breakfasts in the world. Who cares that it was 1:30 pm by the time we got home?

And they were amazing and delicious. And I’ll dream of them for years.

The bad part was that my parents made me cook them in my state of soft, pliable rubber. Possibly by that point I was the consistency of Jello.