24 Hours a Day

Why do I get up at 4:30 to workout?

My mountain biking buddy (Ken Bell) and I went to this incredible new mountain bike area that I'm going to leave unnamed because I really don't want it overrun with people (OK, it's Loyston on Norris Lake).  I was just bombing down this trail that was filled with berms and banked turns and all manner of obstacles that make mountain biking really fun.

I made the comment that I felt just like a kid on a BMX bike out there.

Then it dawned on me...THAT'S why I get up at 4:30 to workout.  There's no way that I could have done that if I weren't in pretty good shape.

And I started thinking about all the other things that I do.  (So, yes, this column is a bit too much about me, but hopefully you will learn something about yourself or maybe you won't and you will still be entertained a bit.)

Like work long hours.  I often say that I only work a half a day, Monday through Friday.  After a mild pause for dramatic effect, I add that 12 hours is about all anybody should work.  (Get it?  Half a day?  12 hours out of 24?)

There's really a lot of truth in that.  Especially during football season.  My Fridays begin at that aforementioned 4:30 AM and generally last until about 10 PM, unless I have to run to the hospital to check on an athlete I've sent to the Emergency Room, in which case it could be considerably later.

Why do I lift weights and do things like squats and deadlifts and pullups that are generally what you think of only when you think of someone a lot younger than I am or playing sports?

So I can lift and tug and carry heavy things without risk of hurting myself.  It's called real life.

Why do I ride a bicycle over distances that some people (OK...a  lot of people) consider insane?

Well, I do enjoy riding the bicycle but sometimes it might be nice to sleep in on Saturday morning, especially in January when the outside temperatures lean one a bit more toward staying snuggled underneath the covers and savoring a warm breakfast and hot coffee while perusing the newspaper.

But then I'll ride Allegheny Loop Road from one end to the other as hard as I can go and do so without really getting winded and then I realize that my fitness level allows me to enjoy those things.

You can't imagine riding a bike up Foothills Parkway?  To me it just means that rolling hills that I encounter elsewhere are a piece of cake after training on that first 3 mile climb up the Parkway.  Or up Butterfly Gap.  Or up The Wall (Montvale Road past Camp Montvale).

A high level of fitness allows you to do things like that without suffering.  And you get a high level of fitness by doing things that others might consider insane.

So every  Saturday morning I'm up and on the bike.  Year round.  Cold and hot.

And I do a lot of other things too.  Like hiking, paddling, farming, gardening, chasing grandchildren, and on and on.

That's why you're going to find me up and going at it hard, regardless of the weather, regardless of how I might feel, regardless of the time of day.  Those things are only excuses.

There's only 24 hours in a day and I'm gonna fill 'em up!  (And I'm going to be fit enough to have fun doing them.)