? Something really cool happening | Main | Returning Home ?
February 10, 2005
A Winter debate
Now that it’s been a few days where the temperature has hung around 20 degrees while I’ve been riding my bike, I’m starting to get used to it. It’s almost like it’s nothing. I am amazed at how we can adapt to our surroundings. This morning as I was riding I felt like pushing my body as hard as I could for a while, to feel the muscles crying for more oxygen. As I was going up the hill on the Wabasha Bridge from the flats into downtown, I decided to keep the same pace and keep pushing until my muscles were burning. Then I decided to keep doing it to see at what point my muscles would fail. I went past the burning sensation and out of sheer willpower kept the pace but my muscles did not fail me. When I got to the top though, and slowed down, my legs felt like Jelly.
Yesterday at work I was in the break room talking with another guy who I’ve been associated with on various projects. He’s a very intelligent man in his field and well respected for what does. But he struck up a mini-debate with me about why it’s insane to bike in this weather. His points against it were:
1. Anything below freezing is too cold.
2. You are polluting the air when you are breathing too.
3. Skiing in this weather is also insane.
4. It’s not enjoyable when it’s that cold.
5. Winters in Minnesota are almost uninhabitable.
6. Human beings are not meant to live in conditions like this.
Today at lunch I ran 5.5 miles at an average of 8 minutes 28 seconds per miles. It was about 25 degrees F. I saw several people out running and one person riding a bike. The only thing that was insane about it was that I got too hot and had to take off my headband and gloves and unzip my running jacket. When I was down running along the stream, feeling my heart beating and hearing the rhythm of my heavy, steady breathing mixing with the water’s rush, I remembered just why I used to love running so much when I was younger. I could feel the burning in my muscles and the sweat was running into my eyes. In the physical condition that I’m in now, that level of sustained exertion was pushing my limit, but it felt really good! After I showered and returned to my office, I ate lunch and it never tasted so good! The apple seemed juicier and the food much more flavorful. It must be the deep hunger of my body craving fuel after expending it all, and the fresh air enlivening my senses.
Now tonight I’m stiffening up and I’m feeling a little sore, but I know that this is part of my training plan. I know it will make me stronger and a better athlete. So I’ll stretch a little more tonight and take it easy tomorrow and then run again on Saturday. The bike-racing season really starts in May here, so I will be ready. Sticking to my plan will be the hardest part until then. It’s a lot easier to stick to a plan when there is a goal in sight. Tonight and tomorrow I’m working on the racing schedule for the year. That will tell me how I’m going to train each week.
No arguments against my cycling in the winter are valid, because I’m doing it and it’s not insane to me. If I’m capable, mentally and physically prepared, doing it regularly, improving my health, being environmentally friendly and it’s enjoyable is it insane? But I can see why some people can’t do this. My friend Lee is in a wheelchair. He probably won’t be cycling in the winter. But he does get outside and ride around downtown in the fresh air.
But our little debate was in good fun and I don’t really think his arguments were meant to dissuade me from cycling in the winter, but more to justify to himself why he can’t or wouldn’t do it also. I think though if a 42-year-old man who has sat at a computer for the past umpteen years can become an athlete, there are many more things in life that I must have told myself I couldn’t do before. In this way we really can be our own enemies.
Posted by carl1236 at February 10, 2005 10:43 PM | Attitude
Comments
"I don’t really think his arguments were meant to dissuade me from cycling in the winter, but more to justify to himself why he can’t or wouldn’t do it also."
Exactly. When people see us doing things that are healthier and more responsible than what they are doing, they instinctively look for ways to justify their own behaviors to us and to themselves. During my first weeks of biking, several of my gas-guzzling friends made the point that they would also bike if it wasn't for 1 or 2 or 3 reasons that, in my mind, were irrelevant or minor concerns. These responses were unsolicited in that I didn't criticize their lifestyles, but merely told them what I was doing and why I was doing it. For whatever reason, my personal lifestyle choices put them on the defensive. Which is a good thing if you ask me.
As for your coworker, I wonder if he bikes in the summer or if he does anything that is the slightest bit physically challenging? I used to think that most reasonably healthy people could ride a bike to work, at least when the weather is nice. Heck, I was pushing 100 pounds overweight when I started. But the truth is that we Americans have, for several generations, led increasingly soft and cushy lives. I know plenty of people who cannot tolerate being exposed to temperatures that fall outside of their own narrow comfort zone - say 70F +/- 2. And most people haven't been on a bike since before they turned 16. To them, all bicycling accomplishments are framed in terms of their memories from childhood. A ten mile commute to work is impressive to someone who may have last ridden a mile or two as a 10 year old on a clunky bike from K-Mart.
The next question is: where do you and I and other positive thinkers develop our can-do attitudes, while so many others only seem to have negative, defeatist attitudes? Nature or nurture?
Posted by: Jim at February 11, 2005 09:31 AM
Change. You were not always this way. Something prompted a change in you. Last night I was watching CSI on TV and one of the characters said, "What we are doesn't change, but who we are is constantly changing." That's a brilliant line. Our DNA is pretty much locked in from birth, so that takes care of the 'what we are' part. 'Who we are is constantly changing from experiences and other forms of input and feedback.
And this is not just postive thinking. It's liberation. It's freedom to change who we are. When we say we 'can't' then we probably can't. Truth will set you free, but the problem is that the so-called truth is often relative and is not the real or whole truth. It's distorted by our current views. We have to be willing to test our views. A couple of years ago, I never would have thought it possible to give up a car, and was totally dependant on it. But now I can see that it's possible. Who I am keeps changing because of my experiences. Yes, it's possible for people to change and desirable. So many more possibilies open up when we are willing to change. So as you put it, it's Nurture, not Nature. There is hope for anyone who can see it.
Posted by: John at February 12, 2005 12:57 AM