Mountain Bikes & Other Things: Lazy or not lazy?

It's that time of year. It's cold outside. There is so much good food going around, I could swim in all of it's sugary splendor. I'm being relatively good; only 2 cupcakes last week--both were on the same day. Granted, I ensured there was at least 2 hours between the feedings. They were so delicious, I didn't even feel guilty afterwards. Later, I learned they were made by a 5-year old. I wondered if she had washed her hands.

I consider myself a lazy person; many I work with would disagree. I guess it's perspective. On any ride, I don't think anyone has ever heard me say, "Let's take the long way!" or "Can't we go just a little bit more?"

I consider working out the highlights of my days and justification for sitting around the rest of the time. I thoroughly enjoy curling up on the couch and reading a book or watching a movie--not so much television. Surfing the internet is another popular time filler.

This time of year is perfect for all of those activities and more.

So, after Saturday's run, I had to do MORE physical labor and help Mr. Wonderful with the new building. My job was to wipe the drywall dust off the walls (read: wash the walls) to ready them for painting. Have I mentioned this is a BIG building? I got done with the little room and the loft when I decided to make myself some supper. Jason has an uncanny ability to work without breaks--including food breaks. Apparently I have the opposite philosophy. Several minutes later he came in and said the big room was done? Huh?!?!?!!? It took me hours to get to that point, and he gets twice as much done in 20 minutes? I was confused. When I asked him about it he replied, "Well, that job sucks and I'm not as worried about it in the big room. I'm tired." Thank goodness it wasn't just me. The rest of the evening was spent masking the doors and windows.

So, my laziness is one reason I considered getting a coach. I need someone to kick me in the rear and say, "GET OUT THERE!" By being accountable to someone else, I'm committed to doing more. I did some reading and research trying to find what every good American wants: something for nothing. Coaching services have sprung up every where. I found a few that were noteworthy and that I felt confident in to provide expert advice and a good personal training plan. Unfortunately, I wasn't willing to pay for it. I'm planning to spend some $$ fixing up my 29er for next year's race bike. (See future post.)

So, I'm going it alone. AND I know I can do it. The exciting part of this is I'm committed to myself!

Will I get it right?
Not all the time.

Will I be faster?
I certainly hope so. I must trust and follow the plan. (repeat 3x)

Will I learn a lot?
Most definitely.

My first astonishment is from Saturday's aforementioned run. I needed to keep my HR in a specific zone. I've prided myself on my running accomplishments over the last 14 months; I AM A RUNNER--when I want to be. That is SO exciting. My goal was 1 hour, 10 minutes and to keep the HR low. Naturally, on any hill, my heart just wants to pound and get me over the hill. I can do it. I want to do it. But the plan says LOW HR, so I mustered a walk. In fact, the whole exercise was much like that.

Slow down, Angela, you're going too fast.

But I can do it. I'm ready to go further, faster--MORE!

Yes, you know you can do it, but this exercise serves a different purpose today. Follow the plan. Trust the plan.

And so I walked a couple of times bringing the HR down to an acceptable level--when cars weren't coming. (-; I don't want anyone thinking I'm a wimp, do I?

So, Sunday was another day when I wanted to be lazy, but I was consumed with rolling around Mr. Wonderful on the scaffolding while he spray painted our building. I had other jobs like filling the paint bucket; ensuring the cords and hoses weren't snagged; etc. Below are some pics from the excitement. When it was finished, the sun had gone to bed. Boooo. I reluctantly rode the bike inside before finally fixing something to eat. What a long weekend.

Jason gets the scaffold ready to paint the ceiling.