Slow and Steady Wins the Race . . .

So yesterday we went hiking. This was the first quarterly phatboyz event. You may remember in an earlier blog, I mentioned the "contest" that my buddies and I have for the year to get into shape, lose weight, etc. So we're going to do at least one event each quarter to further those goals. So yesterday we went to Rattlesnake Ledge for a short hike. It's amazing what 4 years and 70 pounds can do to your body. 4 years ago when I was training to climb Mount Rainier, I could almost jog up this trail. Yesterday it was all I could do to make it to the top. You see I have this weird thing with my quadriceps. They cramp unmercifully when they get worked to exhaustion. It happened a lot while I was training for Rainier. I think really what needs to happen is that I need to build endurance in my quads. But anyway . . . so Rattlesnake ledge is 2.0 miles with about 1,160 feet in elevation gain. Not a challenging hike what so ever. Or so I thought. I met Steve at his house at 9 and he, his son Derek and I headed up to the trailhead to meet Erick, his wife Melinda and their daughter Brianna. We headed on up the trail around 10AM. I was definitely in the worst shape of all of them. I quickly fell behind, which was fine because as long as I couldn't see them, I didn't try to keep up with them. Erick, Steve and Derek would wait for me occasionally (thanks guys!) and I would assure them that yes, I was OK. So we were about 2/3 of the way up and Erick makes the comment "I think we're about 1/2 way" . . . I was like "NO WAY! C'mon, we've got to be more than a mile in" but based on the timing I decided that he was probably right. Well right after that, my quads started to cramp. Erick, Steve and Derek were a bit ahead of me and I said to Erick "Hey, my quads are starting to cramp, so I don't know if I'll make it all the way. I'll just keep going until my legs lock up and wait for you guys on the way back down" and they headed off. Well around a couple more bends, the trees started to thin out and I knew I was almost there. So as my quads started to cramp, I'd slow down and massage them and actually talk to them. "You're doing fine Mr. Quadricep, this is no big deal, we got this b***h beat!" The ground became a bit icy and snowy at this point, but I just kept it slow and steady and didn't slip. (Note: I did have my instep crampons in my pack just in case. [yep, I'm a geek]) A few more steps and the milage sign posted 0.1 miles to go! As I approached the top I saw Erick and Steve and I let out a loud "YEAH BOYYYYYYYY!!!" They all congratulated me on my effort. We hung out on top for about 30 minutes taking photos, munching on some snacks and hydrating. It took me 1 hour and 12 minutes to reach the top. I probably used to do it in 45 - 55 minutes, so I've got some work to do. Then the descent back down began and if I thought my quads were sore on the way up, they were really barking on the way down. After the hike, we went to the North Bend Bar & Grill for some awesome Jambalaya. I dropped Steve and Derek off at home and headed home myself. Teri was re-packing boxes in the garage so I snuck a quick hot bath to relax my legs. Then we headed out to the house to see if the sheetrock was hung yet, it was, and back home for some yummy pork roast! We had Marcus over for dinner and had some good conversation and even better food!







Last week I painted the ceiling in the kitchen and was finally able to check that off the list of things to do before I put the house up for sale later this summer. Now that we have the storage unit cleaned out and Teri has been re-organizing all her stuff, I'm going to start packing the house. I'm going to pack up most of my office, some of the living room, and various parts of closets, etc. We're going to have a PODS delivered sometime in the next week or two. We'll load that up and they can store it at their warehouse until we move. Then they can drop it off again on moving day. I think it's going to make moving day much easier.

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