Sunday, August 1, 2010

Circle of Friends Reunion Trip 2010

I didn't post much this week because I was in Florida for the 2010 Circle of Friends Reunion Trip.  It was a great time that I'll talk about in a minute.  I trained today (Sunday).

Power Clean: worked to 264x1x3

Squat: 355x5; 405x3; 450x1

Lunge Walk: 3x 20 steps
w/
Ab Wheel Rollouts: 3x10

Squats felt really heavy.  Probably due to a lack of sleep and I was probably still a bit dehydrated from the weekend.  Anyways I made it through.  I'm not going to deload this coming week.  I don't feel I need it.

Every two year the Circle of Friends has a reunion trip.  This is where they gather the kids from the two previous winter trips and bring them together in a warmer climate.  This year the trip was in Tampa, FL.  All of the kids had a great time.  Some of the activities included a Tampa Bay Rays game, a beach day, and Busch Gardens on probably the hottest day of ever.  It was extremely hot and very humid at times.  I likened it to standing behind a Greyhound bus and getting the heat of the exhaust in your face.  Many many bottles of water were consumed during the trip.  However, the kids are definitely very resilient and didn't let the heat get in the way of their fun.  In fact some of the nurses made the call to get the kids inside on the beach day since some of them had been outside for six hours and were starting to get a little pink.

The Circle of Friends trips are something that I love to do in my outside life that has nothing to do with training.  Until this trip.  Two things happened that highlighted a few of the reasons why I train the way I do.

I had a revelation of sorts.  Some of the kids have obvious physical impairments.  Most, however, refuse to let it get in the way of their daily lives.  Some have limps, some have arms that have been affected, and some are in wheelchairs.  I was reflecting on how lucky I am to be able to do the things that I can do.  If I wanted to I could go run a 5k, or squat 400 pounds, or bust out 10 50-yard sprints.  Some people can't (i.e. cancer patients), and some people don't (i.e. most of the U.S.).  I took a silent vow to myself that as long as I am still able I will keep running, conditioning, and lifting.  It reminds me of a quote whose author I can't remember.  It goes, "Those that can't find time for exercise will soon have to make time for disease."  I'll never cure cancer but I sure-as-shit won't waste any of my physical capabilities.  That is a tragedy that is committed on a daily basis by millions of perpetrators.

The second example of why I train is a bit funnier, but no less important.  On that last day I was helping Peter Bennet (the guy who helped organize the trip) carry some stuff to his car.  When we got there we saw that he had a flat tire.  We had two options: Call AAA or do it ourselves.  The previous day Pete had been talking big about how the ocean is far superior to lakes.  He said he feels more like a man after a day or being in the saltwater or fishing for the bigger fish in the ocean.  Now it was gettin' down to brass tacks time.  When there is doubt there is no doubt.  We immediately set about finding his car jack and spare tire. 

Being men we didn't really think about consulting the owners manual.  How hard could it be?  Well, after two attempts to do it wrong and about a half gallon of sweat we finally decided to look at the directions.  Being a factory jack it was designed to work on one specific spot on the chassis of the car.  So we got the car up, the flat tire off, the spare tire on, and set her back down.  When we were done I looked down and was dripping sweat from every pore.  My shirt, hat, and shorts were all sweaty.  I haven't sweat like that in a long time.  That Florida heat and being on the black asphalt really got me rolling.  But the thing is, Pete and I both train.  Granted our training may be different, but we were both able to change the tire without getting too tired ourselves.  Yeah we sweat a few pounds of water right there, but it wasn't anything we couldn't handle. 

Usefulness is the key here.  Being able to handle those types of situations is something that I like to do.  I like being able to move heavy stuff by myself to the wonderment of others.  For you young men out there let me tell you this: Women don't care about six-packs.  If you have a six-pack but can't move a coffee table without assistance you are no good to anybody.  If you have a six-pack and can be physically lifted by your girlfriend whether you let her or not, you, sir, are a disgrace.  That's all I have to say about that.

Song of the Day:

Just substitute "California" with "Florida".

"Life is not a spectator sport. If you're going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion you're wasting your life.” -Jackie Robinson

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