Over the course of this past week I have spent time in the gym. Here is what I've learned.
I can still run, and for the most part, I still run pretty well. Okay, "well" defined for me is just under a 10:00 mile. Keep in mind that since the rink opened here in 2006 I have not laced up my running shoes for the purposes of actually running. I also learned that after a week getting back into running, as soon as you lace up your skates to work a game, you feel as if you are skating on 4x4 posts. Took me about 10 minutes into the first period yesterday to get my stride right. I sure hope it did not look as awkward to those watching as it felt to me.
Biking, which I have never done on more than a recreational level, is not a problem either. The trainers at the gym are a far cry from actually being on the road, but it's comfy, warm, and I can watch the Olympics as I go for my simulated ride. As soon as the snow stops here I will get out in the elements and do some real road work. Anybody else think at this point that the whole "global warming" thing is a crock? Haven't seen this much snow in the last 20 years.......COMBINED!
Swimming, well here's a challenge. I have always been a decent swimmer. When you spend the majority of your summers in lakes all over Michigan you learn a thing or two. Heck, in boot camp I was one of the top swimmers in my platoon, full pack, rifle and all. You would think laps in an indoor pool would be a piece of cake. Well, for the most part they are, as long as I breathe to my right. If I try to my left side it's called swallowing! It is one of the things I apparently need to work on. Ya think?
Since I had no games to referee today I went and got a quick run/bike workout in. On the machine next to me was this huge guy, (You know the kind, looks like more brawn than brain?), and I noticed three women down the way looking over at us. I can see that they are talking amongst themselves, and I figure it's about what they are looking at. Of course I figure they are looking at me, because really, why would they NOT? (Insert appropriate amount of sarcasm.) A few minutes later the trainer I have been working with all week stops by and asks if I know who that guy was. My response, "No, does he know who I am?" I laughed a little at myself because I thought it was funny. He says, "That was Randy Orton". He said it as if I should know the name, when in fact, it rang a bell but I had no reason why. I replied with, "Really, Randy Orton? Hmmmmm". Then I Googled him when I got home. To me, just another muscle-head, but apparently a big deal to other people. However, I am not that easily impressed by people like that.
The guy I have been training with on the other hand, well it turns out we have at one point in time shared some of the same stomping grounds. He is a Navy veteran who was stationed in San Diego, CA. When we got to talking about our days in the military I found out a little tidbit about him. He was shot in Bosnia in 2002 extracting a downed U.S. pilot. Normal course of duty for a Navy SEAL. It's people like him who impress me.
More to come.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
Mid Life Crisis?
Exactly how do you define a "Mid-Life Crisis"? What form does one normally take? Sure I have heard of guys going out and buying fancy sports cars, or running away with their sexy little 20-something secretaries. Some have even done both! Now, me being very content with my current ride (even though it is a Toyota), and even more content with my current wife, neither of these is even a thought for me. But I am trying to define what this might look like so when I find it I will know, because I have a feeling...
Year after year I sit and watch countless hours of mindless TV interspersed with the great sport of hockey. Some shows are "must see", like the Amazing Race, or the Stanley Cup Finals. But there is one hour of TV each year that, should I miss it, aggravates me to no end. That show is the Ironman World Championships from Kona, Hawaii. Each year I watch as elite athletes boggle the mind with their athleticism. I watch as age-groupers, all with some kind of story to tell, cross the finish line to hear their names announced over the PA system, proceeded by "You are an Ironman!".
Each year as I lay on the couch and listen to their stories I get inspired. I watch as Jon "Blazeman" Blaise, suffering from ALS (Lou Gerig's Disease) reaches the end, lays down, and rolls across the finish line in 2005. I am also sitting on that same couch in 2007 watching when another anonymous age-grouper reaches the end, lays down, and rolls across the finish line. Then hearing the news that this was in memory of Jon Blaise, who passed away earlier in the year as a result of complications from ALS. Jon Blaise, you are an Ironman!
There is the ageless Madonna Bruder who began her quest of doing Ironman races in 1985. Each year I see her story play out on the glowing box. In 2007, with under a minute to go until the 17-hour cut-off, she crosses the finish line. Sister Madonna Bruder, you are an Ironman! That's right, Sister.......she's a Nun. Oh, and she was 76 years old at the time.
Then there is Team Hoyt. The Father/Son team of Dick and Rick Hoyt who have competed in six Ironman competitions. Rick always edging out his father Dick by a split second. Know why? Rick is the one in front riding in the custom made running chair. You see, when Rick was born he was deprived of oxygen for a period of time, causing him to be born a quadriplegic with cerebral palsy. Rick rides in a raft pulled by Dick during the swim. He rides on the front of Dick's bike over the road. Rick rides in his custom running chair for the course of the marathon. The epitome of a parent-child relationship with the parent always putting the child first. Rick and Dick Hoyt, you are Ironmen!
Each year I watch and think to myself, "Kevin, you can do that". Then I grab a sandwich and hope there's a hockey game on next.
Fast forward to present day 2010: About two weeks ago my wife was having an online conversation with a friend of our on the East Coast. Since I was not part of the conversation initially I can only speculate how it went. All I DO know is that it ended with a question being posed to me as such, (My wife standing in the kitchen making dinner, and me laying on the couch in the family room......you'll see the irony here in a second.), "Hey Kev, Laura wants to run an Ironman and wants someone to run it with her. Want to join her?" My retort was, "Ummmmm.....sure." Then there was the realization that there was no taking it back. It was out there, and I said YES.
After some time to let it sink in I realized something. I didn't want to take it back. It has become what I believe to be MY "Mid Life Crisis".....I just have a feeling.
Year after year I sit and watch countless hours of mindless TV interspersed with the great sport of hockey. Some shows are "must see", like the Amazing Race, or the Stanley Cup Finals. But there is one hour of TV each year that, should I miss it, aggravates me to no end. That show is the Ironman World Championships from Kona, Hawaii. Each year I watch as elite athletes boggle the mind with their athleticism. I watch as age-groupers, all with some kind of story to tell, cross the finish line to hear their names announced over the PA system, proceeded by "You are an Ironman!".
Each year as I lay on the couch and listen to their stories I get inspired. I watch as Jon "Blazeman" Blaise, suffering from ALS (Lou Gerig's Disease) reaches the end, lays down, and rolls across the finish line in 2005. I am also sitting on that same couch in 2007 watching when another anonymous age-grouper reaches the end, lays down, and rolls across the finish line. Then hearing the news that this was in memory of Jon Blaise, who passed away earlier in the year as a result of complications from ALS. Jon Blaise, you are an Ironman!
There is the ageless Madonna Bruder who began her quest of doing Ironman races in 1985. Each year I see her story play out on the glowing box. In 2007, with under a minute to go until the 17-hour cut-off, she crosses the finish line. Sister Madonna Bruder, you are an Ironman! That's right, Sister.......she's a Nun. Oh, and she was 76 years old at the time.
Then there is Team Hoyt. The Father/Son team of Dick and Rick Hoyt who have competed in six Ironman competitions. Rick always edging out his father Dick by a split second. Know why? Rick is the one in front riding in the custom made running chair. You see, when Rick was born he was deprived of oxygen for a period of time, causing him to be born a quadriplegic with cerebral palsy. Rick rides in a raft pulled by Dick during the swim. He rides on the front of Dick's bike over the road. Rick rides in his custom running chair for the course of the marathon. The epitome of a parent-child relationship with the parent always putting the child first. Rick and Dick Hoyt, you are Ironmen!
Each year I watch and think to myself, "Kevin, you can do that". Then I grab a sandwich and hope there's a hockey game on next.
Fast forward to present day 2010: About two weeks ago my wife was having an online conversation with a friend of our on the East Coast. Since I was not part of the conversation initially I can only speculate how it went. All I DO know is that it ended with a question being posed to me as such, (My wife standing in the kitchen making dinner, and me laying on the couch in the family room......you'll see the irony here in a second.), "Hey Kev, Laura wants to run an Ironman and wants someone to run it with her. Want to join her?" My retort was, "Ummmmm.....sure." Then there was the realization that there was no taking it back. It was out there, and I said YES.
After some time to let it sink in I realized something. I didn't want to take it back. It has become what I believe to be MY "Mid Life Crisis".....I just have a feeling.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
