We are on the cusp of winter, and there are a few firsts I’d like to try this winter:
1) snowshoeing. Basically hiking on snow, snowshoeing is something I’ve never done and would like to try.
2) cross-country skiing. Ditto.
The only problem I have is simple: I have no idea how to even begin to get these two things done. Any suggestions?
Hot on the heals of this:
The American Academy of Pediatrics says what children really need for healthy development is more good, old-fashioned playtime. (cbs)
we find this:
Tag, you’re out! Officials at an elementary school south of Boston have banned kids from playing tag, touch football and any other unsupervised chase game during recess for fear they’ll get hurt and hold the school liable.
Recess is “a time when accidents can happen,” said Willett Elementary School Principal Gaylene Heppe, who approved the ban. (charlotte.com)
Awesome. I propose that we also remove from schools:
I mean, we wouldn’t want our children to have experiences, would we?
Since my time teaching for the college is up (they hired a fulltime “real” professor), I now have some extra energy to put into a side project that I’ve been meaning to start for a while. The website is notindoors.com and its goal is to bring the news, reviews, and special reports of the outdoor recreation industry to all us average folks who’d rather be playing outside than stuck at a desk. I hope to get about four relavent stories up a day in a effort to get more involved with the outdoors and to inspire readers to get outdoors.
I have some long range goals for the site, including a weekly video podcast based on user-submitted pics and video, but it’ll be a bit before that can happen. Short term, I need people to find the site and become readers and participators. That said, have a look at the site and offer feedback (notindoors at gmail dot com) if you can. And bokmark it. And add it to your RSS reader. And show your friends - you get the idea.
This is a snippet from a real email message that I received on Friday morning:
The Tuesday night ride is a race pace ride to Gunlock and back, around 30 miles, with the emphasis on speedwork and jamming.[…] We partake in this insanity all summer long, even in the heat. In July, we have nosebleeds, blackouts, white crusted crap on our faces, wheezing, and even vomiting. If this isn’t your idea of cycling fun, this may be the wrong ride for you.
When I bought myself my little roadie, did I inadvertently signup for this bit of masochism? Should I be afraid of someday finding pleasure in this kind of pain?
Are these people comprised of my local clergy? Judges? Donut makers?
Heaven forbid.
Some of you are aware that I am training (though less than effectively these days) for the St. George Triathlon that is coming up in May. I am doing this for purely selfish reasons: I need some reason to get out and exercise. Not that I like running, mind you, nor am I a big fan of swimming (nerds, as a rule, refrain from removing clothing in public). But a reason to exercise I needed and a reason I now have.
Despite the seemingly good intention of, oh, I don’t know, trying to not die by getting exercise and stuff, it seems like I could be doing more with the opportunity to race and train. Perhaps I need more altruistic motivations.
Here’s what has been kicking around the ample space in my grey matter: I would like to get some people/companies to sponsor me in my training then take any money that comes and donate it to the ever-present worthy cause. Something akin to a monetary figure per mile/meter swum, biked, or run leading up to and during the event. Maybe it could be based on time spent training, not milage. I don’t know.
Another issue: who gets the money? With so many causes, what is the one cause that fits this kind of small scale operation? Does the chosen charity have some bearing on the effectiveness of the endeavor?
There are a couple obvious benefits to doing something like this: I get motivated to really train hard; I get healthier; the community gets some form of betterment. What are the drawbacks? Any reason (aside from earning a measly tow dollars) I shouldn’t do this?
Thoughts? Suggestions? Ideas?
Never followed up on the whole “I find myself running a 5k” thing, did I? Well, I survived, so all you hounds jockeying for my stuff: fugetaboutit!
The image above breaks it down for you, though. Let’s use some common adjectives to tell the story, shall we? By the numbers:
1) Pre-race: smiling, happy, excited. Naive.
2) During the race: nauseous, hypoxic. Becoming suspicious.
3) Post-race: pain, winded, gasping. Very jaded.
After fixing a clerical error that had me winning the half-marathon with a 3:29 average mile (call Nike!), it turns out my final time was 33:09, I ranked in the middle of the pack, and the grandmother I felt very smug about passing 5 minutes into the race smoked my tookus by close to 5 minutes (ah, life’s little ironies).
What’s next, you ask? Did I not mention that I’m signed up for the St. George Triathlon in May?
Turns out I’m quite the glutton.
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