Nature's Calling

Right off, I have to say - I love camping.  Love it.  Love the trees, the fresh air, the de-plug from the hustle and bustle. I love to hike, the longer the better, and have done free climbing and repelling.  I would rather get some cool camping equipment than a new dress (although now my focus is cool racing equipment), and feel ansty if it goes too long before I get out there again.

That being said, when this year's Senior trip took us to Garner Park, I was more than happy.  A week out in the woods sounded like a great idea to me. Of course, since CapTex is coming, I wanted to be sure to include my training schedule. When I told my principal room would need to be made for my bike on the bus, he stared at me for a long time.  I stared back, unblinking.  He shook his head and said "okaaaay". Yay, I won.

I was happier than a kid at Christmas when we got there.  Our campsites were right next to the river, so swim practice was up first. The river is called the Rio Frio for a reason.  Fortunately, I had borrowed a wetsuit. Swimming in open water may be hard for some, but I grew up swimming in lakes.  The river, unlike lakes, was clear, so being able to see the bottom as I swam was a novelty. It was quite entertaining.  Look, there's a fish!  There's a bigger fish! WHOA!! There's a rock! Swim around the rock... there's a fish! Swim training? Check.

Biking was going to be a challenge.  The roads in the park are okay, but distance is a problem when you can't roam too far from your group.  There were two massive hills in the center of the park that I was really excited about, thinking I could get some practice in shifting on the fly.  First hill - I think I can, I think I can...and I did!  Coast down the back and gain momentum for the second.  Hmmm, must tell the kids that Physics class came in handy today.  Here comes the next hill - I think I can, I think I can...shift down, SHIFT DOWN! Turns out it is very important to know which way is shift up and shift down.  I came to a complete standstill in less than two seconds and feel over like a tree. I picked myself up, coasted back down the hill and tried it again.  Vintage complained the whole way, but she made it.

I was clipping along at a pretty good pace on the flat part when something caught my eye from the side of the road.  In my years of camping, I have run into javelinas, mountain lions, a family of bear cubs (great pics - I was within ten feet of one of them), foxes, coyotes, various birds and bobcats.  I don't fear wildlife, which has caused panic attacks in anyone who goes camping with me. However, when this particular creature ran across the road in front of me, all I could think was,"what the HECK is that?" I was in aero position, and what looked like a cross between a wild turkey and an ostrich was taller than me. It stopped on the other side of the road (which brings to mind all of the chicken and the road jokes) and looked at me like "what the HECK is that?" It wasn't like I could stop and take a better look, so I kept going, hoping it was my only strange encounter.  Cycling training - check.

Hiking at Garner is fairly tame.  The trails are not too long, and the climbs, while steep, are not particularly tricky.  Great for families with small kiddos, but if you are looking for something harder, go to Big Bend.  Nice long trails, spectacular views, it's my favorite place so far to hike. I planned on supplementing my running with the hikes. I also planned on running the hills that made my bike so interesting. My students kept telling me they were going to join me on my runs. There was a lot of smack talk about how it would be easy to run with me and how fast they were.  Until that is, their first hike. The next day, groans and complaints were heard from all the shelters.  Only one student was brave enough to come with me on my run. He was not a runner, but insisted he was going to do all six miles with me.  Ah, young and naive.

He lasted two miles. He felt bad, but I told him two miles for his first run was awesome, and the kids congratulated him when he got back. I didn't have any more offers to run.  I managed three runs, one of them a 10k which I did in under an hour (56 mins). Obviously, there were butt muscles I had not used before, as I discovered once the soreness set in. Got to love hills.

Other than a lingering panic that I was not going to be ready for CapTex with this modified training (thanks to those who gave me pep talks during those moments) it was a great week. Now it's back to reality, and the final push.