The Accidental Exerciser
Woke up this morning to the less than dulcet sounds of a couple of ravens tear-assing around on the roof. The metal roof. Look, the type of roofing materials around here is limited and the vast majority of the time, I don't think about it. But when you wake up cranky, and stay cranky because of a couple of rambunctious corvids who think it's great fun to chase each other around on said metal roof, then wood shingles suddenly sound good.
But since that isn't really an option I got up pissed off and remained that way through a morning of grudgingly done housework and resentfully downloaded email. I was working on a serious case of the mads when I got the fleeting notion that a bike ride might help.
Now, a few things to know about me: I don't exercise, I don't even own any exercise-related equipment. I haven't been on a bike ride - for fun - in about 2 years. Sure, I use my urban cruiser bike as transportation in the summer, but I do than even less this summer as the very bad weather makes the borough bus a much better option - especially since it comes right past my house.
But: It's Sunday, when the bus doesn't run, and currently not raining, and I just got a vaguely athletic-looking shirt that I bought on-line. Not that I got it for doing anything athletic, quite the contrary; I got it to help keep me warm while sitting around in the less than balmy weather we are in the midst of. And as it happened, I had recently unearthed one of my all-time favorite garments: a pair of leggings that are boot and shoe friendly.
So rather than sit around stewing I decided to dig out my one pair of athletic shoes, put on my new shirt and old pants, and head over to the Chena River to see just how close to flood stage it really is.
Huh.
Not the greatest idea I've ever had.
I somehow failed to register the weather report where it clearly stated that it was 43 degrees with 5 mph winds. I also failed to notice just how incredibly thin my new shirt was. To quote all mothers since the beginning of time: I needed a sweater. By the time I got to the river - which had actually flooded the bike path - I was in a world of cold, while my body was desperately trying to sweat. I was winded from crawling up a slight incline and should have been basting in my own juices but the "moisture wicking" fabric acted as my own personal swamp cooler.
So, instead of sweating like a pig I was in very real danger of getting a raging case of hypothermia just 10 blocks from my house.
And yet: by time I got back home I was better. I was only gone for 30 minutes, and only actually riding around for maybe 20, but it helped. I had learned some things: apparently that boot-leg "supply store" over on 9th had finally gone out of business and that corner doesn't look nearly as sketchy as it has. Evidently the city gave up and turned a trail we've always used into a paved bike path with some landscaping. Which is nice because it also eliminated the homeless camps that always cropped up through there. And there were people who are actually using the bike path even on a cold, gray, miserable day. Including a man out for a walk with his three sons. Two of which were holding his hands. And they were all talking to each other. Nice.
And I learned, the hard way, that the neighborhood donut shop closed at noon on Sundays. Dammit. 'Cause that was my promised reward to myself for doing this; 20 minutes of real, live cardio exercise with a cake doughnut chaser. Instead I wobbled home, doughnut-less, spent a few minutes fussing around in my yard in lieu of actually doing any kind of "cool down" exercise and rewarded myself with a pot of full strength Peet's coffee.
Which is not to say that I'll do this again. I think the fact that this is the first time in 2 years that I was motivated enough to do this speaks for itself. However accidently though, it is clear that getting up and moving around a bit was good for me. So maybe -maybe - I'll do it again.
Sometime.
But since that isn't really an option I got up pissed off and remained that way through a morning of grudgingly done housework and resentfully downloaded email. I was working on a serious case of the mads when I got the fleeting notion that a bike ride might help.
Now, a few things to know about me: I don't exercise, I don't even own any exercise-related equipment. I haven't been on a bike ride - for fun - in about 2 years. Sure, I use my urban cruiser bike as transportation in the summer, but I do than even less this summer as the very bad weather makes the borough bus a much better option - especially since it comes right past my house.
But: It's Sunday, when the bus doesn't run, and currently not raining, and I just got a vaguely athletic-looking shirt that I bought on-line. Not that I got it for doing anything athletic, quite the contrary; I got it to help keep me warm while sitting around in the less than balmy weather we are in the midst of. And as it happened, I had recently unearthed one of my all-time favorite garments: a pair of leggings that are boot and shoe friendly.
So rather than sit around stewing I decided to dig out my one pair of athletic shoes, put on my new shirt and old pants, and head over to the Chena River to see just how close to flood stage it really is.
Huh.
Not the greatest idea I've ever had.
I somehow failed to register the weather report where it clearly stated that it was 43 degrees with 5 mph winds. I also failed to notice just how incredibly thin my new shirt was. To quote all mothers since the beginning of time: I needed a sweater. By the time I got to the river - which had actually flooded the bike path - I was in a world of cold, while my body was desperately trying to sweat. I was winded from crawling up a slight incline and should have been basting in my own juices but the "moisture wicking" fabric acted as my own personal swamp cooler.
So, instead of sweating like a pig I was in very real danger of getting a raging case of hypothermia just 10 blocks from my house.
And yet: by time I got back home I was better. I was only gone for 30 minutes, and only actually riding around for maybe 20, but it helped. I had learned some things: apparently that boot-leg "supply store" over on 9th had finally gone out of business and that corner doesn't look nearly as sketchy as it has. Evidently the city gave up and turned a trail we've always used into a paved bike path with some landscaping. Which is nice because it also eliminated the homeless camps that always cropped up through there. And there were people who are actually using the bike path even on a cold, gray, miserable day. Including a man out for a walk with his three sons. Two of which were holding his hands. And they were all talking to each other. Nice.
And I learned, the hard way, that the neighborhood donut shop closed at noon on Sundays. Dammit. 'Cause that was my promised reward to myself for doing this; 20 minutes of real, live cardio exercise with a cake doughnut chaser. Instead I wobbled home, doughnut-less, spent a few minutes fussing around in my yard in lieu of actually doing any kind of "cool down" exercise and rewarded myself with a pot of full strength Peet's coffee.
Which is not to say that I'll do this again. I think the fact that this is the first time in 2 years that I was motivated enough to do this speaks for itself. However accidently though, it is clear that getting up and moving around a bit was good for me. So maybe -maybe - I'll do it again.
Sometime.
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