Saturday (10-21-06) morning, after fighting the parade crowds downtown (darn homecoming weekend) to get to the gym I completed a half hearted BodyPump workout. Then I returned home to find Jessica in my bed. She was in town for the weekend and had been out very late the night before/this morning drinking excessive quantities of beer and riding her bike all over town with APS. I climbed in bed next to her and we laid there and plotted how we would spend the day. We yakked about all the fun things we had done all week, catching each other up on the latest gossip, etc. By the time we decided to hit the Katy trail and bike to Coopers Landing for some Tai food, it was almost noon. Jessica was nursing a serious hangover so we figured flat level ground was required……..there would be no getting crazy out at Rockbridge. As we unloaded bikes at the trailhead, it began to sprinkle an icy cold rain. We were determined to get our ride in so we put on our rain gear and continued on up the trail. At first the rain was light and the trees over the trail shielded us from the brunt of it. Then, as we continued on our way the rain increased as did the cold. Finally we arrived at Coopers Landing and pulled up under the awning. We placed our food order at the Jetstream trailer that is the “restaurant”. Scanning our whereabouts, we saw a few hearty souls milling around, all clad in vinyl rain gear. They appeared to be river people and seemed to be right at home. They examined us to see what was wrong with us considering we were out riding bikes in cold rain.
One hearty soul said “hope you are not far from your car”. We had to respond by telling them our car was about 15 miles away in Columbia. As we sat and ate, we got colder and colder. Seems that being soaking wet in 40 degree weather is not much fun. They offered us free t-shirts that were in abundance since there was a clean up the river project to be hosted that day and no one showed up due to the unfavorable weather. We politely helped ourselves to a few shirts. We decided to call for a lift back to town and Carol came to rescue us some hour or so later. While we waited, we went in the little shop to stay warm and the uptight lady working there rushed out from behind the counter and hid the tray of baked goods that was sitting on the chest cooler. I guess she thought we might help ourselves. Then she shut the bathroom door……guess we were supposed to use the Port-a-potty, which was understandable, we were covered in gray trail gook all up our backsides. Once back in town, we cleaned up and went to Moe’s Southwest Grill for dinner………..ate the Moo Moo kid’s meal. It was great; included a child size burrito, nacho chips, a cookie and a small drink for only $3.75.
Sunday morning the temp was hovering at freezing, but Carol and I decided we were going to run the 10K race out at Rockbridge called “Rockbridge Revenge”. This annual event offers a 10K and a 20K option and is timed with chips. I had never done a trail race, so it would be a first for me. I ended up getting second in my age group; one of those times when being old does pay off. I really enjoyed the race. I know the trails at Rockbridge so well from having mountain biked on them for the past 10 years. I have literally biked most of the trails hundreds of times. I found it fascinating to compare my perceived effort on foot to what it would be on my bike. I noted that when you finish a climb on the bike, you arrive at the top and your effort goes down and your heart rate comes down and you have a nice moment to recover. Running, does not offer such a relief. Seems that when you get to the top you just keep going and it is not notably easier. I am sure I did most of the run with my heart rate over 170. It was hard work, but it was a beautiful day and the sun came out and it was rather warm for running. Everyone was shedding layers of clothing as they went along. One boy even lost a shoe……which was not on purpose. After the race, the clouds appeared again and we all stood around shivering waiting for the awards ceremony. I did not realize I had placed until they called my name. What a pleasant surprise. I ran the 10K in just seconds shy of one hour and 4 minutes. My goal for next year is to break the one hour mark.
Due to cold and rainy weather, the balance of the day was dedicated to relaxing, loafing, eating and goofing off……….a fine way to spend a chilly fall day. I really wanted to sneak in a good bike ride, but I really wanted to stay warm and dry for a while too. Izzy and Yamina were glad to see me around the house.
No comments:
Post a Comment