But I have done some great workouts lately. Last weekend I headed up with friends to whitewater raft and bike the Greater Allegheny Passage.
We got up about 6 a.m. Sunday and rafted the Lower Yough river, which is hard but probably the easiest section of river I've done. That leads me to the funny story -- me stuck on a rock in the middle of the river surrounded by rapids. We were asked to get out of the raft after getting stuck on a rock.
My note to self -- make sure there's a contingency plan to get back on the raft once you set it free. Yeah.
Eventually I had to ride the rapid -- one other guy did too -- and boy was it cold. But it also smacked me around quite a bit. Still I was no worse for the wear and enjoyed the rest of the trip from inside the raft.
After getting some lunch our group was headed out on a 30-mile bike ride to the town of Rockwood. That was until a huge t-storm hit and delayed us. We finally managed to hit the trail by around 2 p.m. A friend and her kids ended their ride at the next town -- Confluence -- 11 miles up the trail and rode in the support vehicle. Yes, the trip was supported and I got to enjoy some of those perks.
After an ice cream stop another friend of mine and I hit the trail for the next 12 miles -- rain, great scenery, muddy bikes, aching butts and all we made it in just over an hour, even with stops.
From there we had 6 pretty painful miles -- mostly because our butts were killing us. But we made it and rejoiced in a shower to clean off the river water, sweat, and caked on grainy dirt.
Somehow I loved it although I can't remember being that tired. All I wanted was a beer and some food. Food was easy, beer not so much. My friends ended up buying beer from some folks hanging on their porch in the town of Rockwood, Pa. on a cool Sunday night. Oh joy. I don't think I've seen beer make grown people so happy -- even if it was half a bottle.
I hit the hay first and slept soundly. We had a fab breakfast the next morning with amazing eggs, local sausage and pancakes. Now all I needed with some convincing to go back 30 miles.
The rest of the group was headed to Cumberland but we left our cars in Ohiopyle. The weather for the return trip was gorgeous and the ride on a slight incline and we booked it back.
I'm thinking of a new extreme triathlon that includes whitewater rafting, 30 miles of biking and something else ... rock climbing, not sure what but I think it would be popular. But it was exhausting.
I have to say though I have the bug for the biking -- I'm going to get my bike outfitted for longer trips and continue my conditioning.
Yes, I was sore although it was odd areas like my right achilles has been cramping up and my shoulders were sore from leaning forward. But I'm so glad I did all 60 miles despite the pain. I do think some of the pain was exacerbated by the rafting because I sat in a raft for several hours and my legs came out stiff. That didn't help the ride for the long run.
I do highly recommend the GAP and would love to do it again. Now I'm trying to think about the next trip, even though I may be relegated to the WO&D for awhile.
On another note, I'm impressed with all the reports of hard work and battling through life's hurdles to continue onward. If you can do it now, just think about when kids are sleeping and work is easier.
Keep up the good work everyone!
1 comment:
Third event: beer and bratwurst.
Sounds like you had a really fun weekend! Except the river rafting. I'm more of a still water tubing or kayaking kind of person. Rapids, even easy ones, make the control freak in me anxious.
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