Recap

Last week was a good week. Learned a lot about myself; my will to suceed and physical limits. I always enjoy finding out new things about myself. After all, isn't that what life is? Growing into yourself, your identity, your accomplishments and failures. You get to do a lot of that when you start a new career that's unlike any other or push your limits like never before.

I got paid three days last week to learn how to kick some one's ass. How cool is that?! I also received pay to get my ass kicked. That wasn't as cool as beating on someone else but with one comes the other. I definitely learned that I need to keep my distance. I also learned that I can take a shot better than I thought I could. My nose still hurts. I survived the hit though and kept fighting. It feels really good when all the training you've done comes back to you when you need it. I'm way more confident after last weeks training than I was before going into it.

Then Saturday I did something I've never done before. I participated in a sponsored bike riding event/race. Its called Puddle for the Ducks. Its to support wetland conservation. Mainly to keep duck hunting lands available and protected from poaching and things like that. Make hunting fun and safe and lasting. I don't personally hunt ducks but I know a lot of people who do and I know its a large thriving industry here in Texas. Anyway, it was a 45 mile bike ride. I've never done over 40 miles before and the last time I did it was at least two years ago. This event was so much fun. It started around 7:30 in the morning with about 400 riders in the parking lot outside Sun and Ski at Katy Mills mall. Then they just started releasing people in speed groups. The psycho tournament riders first or the Lance Armstrong wannabees as I like to call them. Then the rest of the people essentially; to include me. I realized just how far and how hard I could push myself before my body was actually going to stop working. Apparently somewhere around 30 miles is my limit without a break or some energy replenishing. I could actually feel my stomach beginning to eat itself and my mind started to get a little cloudy. I was almost worried. But I pushed on and a few more miles and there was the third rest stop. They come stocked with fruits, candy, cookies, Gatorade, and lots of water. All the essentials of a cycling fool. I'm glad it came when it did. When I got home and did my work out analysis on my Garmin Forerunner it said that according to my stats (height, weight, age, speed, distance, time) that I burned about 2600 calories for the entire work out. That's my daily caloric intake. I worked off everything I ate Friday in about three hours Saturday morning. That's crazy!! So lesson learned, need to stop a little more often and refuel or eat a much larger breakfast before these workouts. I won't get caught wanting to give up next time.

On a completely different non physical but much needed bragging topic; my wife and I went to see music by John Williams performed by the Houston Symphony Sunday night. Since I'm not cultured at all and don't recognize anything by composer or by name much to my delight it was the guy who wrote the music for all six Star Wars, E.T., Harry Potter, Indian Jones, and Superman. The focus of the performance was on Star Wars. The show was fantastic. Made me want to leave the theatre and go watch the movies. How awsome would it be to watch the movies in a movie theatre while a live orchestra was playing the music in the pit. What amazed me more, and only because like I said I'm pretty well the farthest thing from cultured, is that this guy actually wrote the most memorable songs in my lifetime that came from movies. I'm still singing them in my head.

So the weekend was a blast. Lots accomplished and lots learned. I grew in mind, body, and soul all in the course of a week. You have to love life.