When you’re towing, you have time to think of all sorts of things.
But then your family gets into it. And your parents hatch up a video idea to keep everyone entertained. It’s tough to make towing exciting, so having me look just a little more comical helps.
Dad’s production company (www.tvlvideo.com) put this together for me.
According to the schedule, I should be at 100 minutes a day of heavy workout. Haha! It’s been fairly easy to make the adjustment to this, but as the time for working out has increased, it’s become clear I’ve got to have most everything on auto-pilot. As I move into the multi-hour workouts, it’s going to get that much more difficult to keep on top of daily chores.
As is, I almost started getting hungry at the end of the session. Good thing I had 3 slices of bacon waiting at home for me. And the last of my protein drinks from Costco.
My breakfasts are hovering at the 900 calorie mark:
And now I’m hungry 1/2 hour after. I think I’ll have 2 boiled eggs.
If people think what I’m going to do is insane, check out Rosie Pope’s CV (adventure resume). When I first read her accomplishment, I yelled out to no one in particular, “That’s insane!”
It’s a Mark Twain proportioned adventure and then some. For as that famous writer said, “You’ll only regret the things you didn’t do.”
For those of you who think you can’t do something, even by yourself, you’re wrong.
You can.
You can lose those 20 pounds. You can run 5 miles that you’ve sworn you never could. Only very rarely does your body really stop you from doing something. More often than not, it’s all that junk swirling around in your head causing the problem. It’s the FUD factor.
Fear. Uncertainty. Doubt.
Although, as Felicity Aston learned, you might not end up liking doing activities by yourself. Finding someone to go with, train beside, or be responsible to is always helpful.
Sure, being alone on the biggest ice cube on the planet doesn’t sound like fun to most. But to the few of us who do think it’s a kick, we’re always dreaming about it.
I’m one of them.
The new vinyl sign is rigged up to the tire. I need to zip tie the top bar together, as it fell off along Carlsbad Village Drive. I knew I’d find it on the way back, as PVC pipe laying on the street doesn’t interest anyone. Sure enough, the bar was laying right in the middle of the sidewalk, waiting for me.
At first I thought I would be self-conscious about the new banner. Then, I realized that I didn’t even think about it, as fighting to drag a tire is all-consuming.
It still feels strange to advertise myself like this. It partially comes from 15 years of writing software, where you do not think about selling the product. You only think about creating it.
Now that I’m partnered with the Prostate Cancer Foundation, I don’t feel like it’s just about me. I want to make sure this expedition serves something bigger than myself, just one human. Since prostate cancer had touched my family, I’ve got a personal stake in the matter.
It looks like a wonderful morning to go for a run. 64 deg outside. Overcast to keep the
iPod took the bullet
sun away. What better thing to do then eat sidewalk?
That is one thing I have noticed about running in the Five Finger shoes – I tend to snag my toes and stumble more. It may be because I’m leading with my toes instead of my heels. As a consequence, I’ve tripped more than once but haven’t ever gone down. Until today.
The iPhone app myfitnesspal computes I need 2950 net calories per day to put on a pound a week in anticipation of trekking Antarctica. Yesterday, I consumed 2583 calories, not even hitting my target. And I felt like I was eating all day. Then, doing 1258 calories of exercise put me way below my target. I did eat my half cup of ice cream before bed. Obviously that’s not enough, either.
Perhaps it’s time for Big Macs. The thing is, I really don’t like them. Maybe my tune will change?
I couldn’t believe it when I looked at the 6-month workout schedule. My training was already behind!
“Egads,” I told myself. Continue reading
I got my first long tire tow in this weekend. 2.5 hours. It was great! I wandered through the canyons, dragging the tire up and down hills. The interesting part was that pulling on dirt was extremely easy compared to smooth asphalt and concrete.
But! Towing on trails was irritating, as rocks, sticks, and detritus caused snagging, making me fight with the tire. It is good training for rambling over crumbled ice.
In order to march across Antarctica on a guided trip, you have to be able to handle the ANI Training Baseline Fitness program. If you’re not able to sustain an hour of intense activity (running, tire towing, cross country skiing) at least 3 months in advance of your trip, you will not make it.
Right before leaving, you have to be doing 8-10 hours a day to have a chance of surviving the ice. Dragging heavy things through really cold places demands massive commitment.
As I look at the training log ANI/ALE puts out, I can see why my last trip to Yellowstone was both good and bad. The good – my training was pretty good. The bad – I wasn’t doing 8 hours a day. Experiencing the consequence of that made me realize a life change was in order. My training was good but not to the 8-10 hour level prior to departure. There’s no general way I can simultaneously work a full time job and train like this.
So, having a little life-altering meltdown may be exactly what is needed to make this whole expedition possible. Dump everything and concentrate on this. Otherwise, all the time, effort, and money will be for naught.
On my trip to Egypt, I listened to a spectacular sound track while lounging at the top of my hotel, looking at Karnak Temple. It was hot and dry, but the hibiscus drink took the edge off.
Sitting in that pool, watching night descend upon the city of Luxor, was one of my best experiences ever. I had the guys at the hotel find me a copy of the soundtrack. Everything there seems to be bootleg. It worked for me, as everyone there seemed not to care.
The very best of Shereen is in Arabic. I don’t understand it, though it sure sounds good. Perhaps it’s all in my mind, as this is just a memory now.
