I cruised up the street to Rage again after work, for my second go on the pump track. I sure suck compared to the guys in the vid, but still saw some improvements over last week. What a fun time, with a great group of laid-back and supportive people! The course takes about 10 seconds a lap, but seems longer since you are working and focusing every moment, and brushing right up against (and sometimes, into) the walls. I resisted pump-tracking for a while, not that it wouldn’t be fun, but i figured it would not be a workout. I simply don’t have the time to be on the bike away from the family and not burn calories. I could not have been more wrong! Its not the same workout as pedaling, but you aggressively utilize your whole body to propel the bike via body english and momentum. After 4 or 5 laps i feel an intense anaerobic burn as my arms and hips and calves start to shake. The crossover skills pay immediate dividends on the mtb. Can’t wait to go again, can’t wait to carve a turn and shoot out of it faster than i entered, can’t wait to to manual jumps one after another and clear a tabletop.
Day: July 20, 2010
Pool Daze
I’ve been religiously trying to get G and Alana to the pool 2x a week after work. Its only for about an hour since the pool closes at 6, but its the best i can do. Kids in AZ need to get wet and cool regularly or they go insane, and though its a ton of work going 2:1 with Monsters who are in entirely different places in the water, its vital for me too.
I’ve got our pre-game ritual down: grab em out of class and into the bathroom, make a pile of clothes to swap with a pile of swimwear, slather on sunscreen and surfshirt and shoes, potty and swim diaper, then jet into the car. They too have figured out the routine, so we can go 25 min from the time i walk in to the time we hit the water. This is probably the most difficult part, especially when i commute home and continue to slow-roast until we finally get wet.
Each day is a new adventure, some days they get better and some days they get shy and scared. Some days I deal with tinyMeltdowns. Most days are very good and very inspiring. I bought G some brightly-colored rubber squids that sink to the bottom and waggle at her, and within 1 session she mastered kicking her legs to propel herself downward to fetch them. She can pick up all 4 at once, she keeps going deeper and holding her breath longer, learning to use her arms and legs to swim underwater. She jumped off the low board and swam to the side. She swam with me 6 feet to the bottom of the lap pool, and let me lifeguard-carry her across the 25 meter length and back. She taught herself to dive by following up on her natural instincts to throw herself headlong into whatever she is doing. And she’s started recognizing the other little boys and girls and playing with them.
Last time at the pool, Alana waltzed down the zero-depth entry up to her neck, smiling and holding the squids. Only after falling under when the ripples in the water knocked her off-balance did she get scared. Some days she is afraid of the water and of me, other days she can’t wait to get swung around and tossed in the air. I wish she had the benefit of our old backyard pool to ride in wings and floaties and lose any fear of the water like G did, but romping and stomping 20 yards at a time has its own benefits. She hangs on the side and pulls herseff up with remarkable motivation, and just started flopping over the edge and in on her own. I’m surprised she does not seem to freak when she actually goes under, maybe its ignorance instead of fear, maybe I should give her more credit.