Happy MLK Day. For those of us who don't have the day off, I am feeling ya. For those who do...you have no excuse not to comment. Today I have a special treat for you. My sister Ribby is a married lady who lives in the proper town of London, England with her British hubby Sushi (nicknames people nicknames). They have quite the cultural life there, but alas, only laugh and sigh at my adventurous exploits on bike and foot. Due to actual exciting adventures initiated by Ribby & Sushi this past weekend, here's a guest blog coming to you today straight from Ye Ole England. I may have converted another one to biking, I can now die happy. (PS, I kept all spellings original because I have no idea what is spelled wrong due to typos and what is spelled wrong due to weird British spellings.)
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There may just be hope for us yet. For years, practically my whole life, we enjoyed our lazy Sundays. Happy to let my sister and her hubby have the all the active fun. But today, we did you proud.
Sunday: We started out as usual. We normally do take the bikes out on a Sunday, but normally just to go to the other side of town to our parents, normally because they've cook some nice Indian food. Technically, our motive was actually just food, cooked well and plenty of it.
But today, we started out along the River Thames, where we live in Kingston Upon Thames, England. We stayed along the river, dodging the diligent crazy runners, Wellie-clad leisure walkers and pink baby bikers with Daddy. We soon found ourselves covered from head to toe in mud, because the pavement rapidly disappeared. (Members of my family: you should remember this when we went walking along river the the River Locks in Ham in August 2006.)
I said to myself..." W0w...Hannah would love this mud." After the second overtaking of very muddy boys on bikes and after after me telling hubby that his back was already full of mud anyways, we threw caution to the wind and joined muddy boyes splashing threw muddy puddles. Actually I'm exaggerated as it was very civiliased (with an s) as this is England after all and the Brits are very polite about not splashing other passer byers.
We followed the famous snaked path of the Thames all the way to Fulham. Zone 2 in London and 11 miles from Kingston! After a quick river bench coffee stop (I bring my themos of hot coffee everywhere, because I love food and drink and it stays hot for 4 hours) we turned around, taking the roads this time instead of the lovely, but muddy river path. The bike path sign said it was 8 miles to Kingston and we found that road bikes is alot harder because of the up and down hills; whilst also being slightly more dangerous when one considers that we were actually on a motorway (sort of...probably classified as a AA road).
So, whilst 21 miles may not be much for Tom and Hannah, we found it throughally exhausting. Me actually more than hubby; as he is somehow built like a race horse, allbeit a lazy racehorse; with endurance like a mac-truck on bio-diesel when he actually bothers too apply the accelerator.
The new sensations I've been experiencing for the rest of the day, after pushing myself as never have before after our 2 1/2 hour bike ride:
- out of breath constantly (even though it is now 8pm)
- cheeks still feeling flushed (even though it is now 8pm)
- pleasantly aching body ( expected that)
- utterly starving (much more than normal.....which means I'm just eating back all of the calories I burned.)
This is a very strange feeling, to push one's self beyond the normal threshold, beyond currently level of shape. I've really not done that very much in my life....oh except maybe that time when I beat Hannah going back up the Grand Canyon (DON'T believe her side of the story!)
So, hubby and I have decided: We are bikers. This is cool, as I feel like this day was an athletic epiphany of sorts for both of us. Finally, we found something that is physically challenging but also mentally stimulating and .... ACTUALLY enjoyable. Which is why I say there is hope after all.
My plan next weekend is to bring a change of clothes and make it all the way to Kensingston (further 2 1/2 miles and Zone 1 of London!) so we can go into the museums. Hubby's idea was just to bring sandwiches along to join the coffee thermos on the river bench. I like that idea too.
I immediately went out this afternoon to buy 'bike gear' now, hurry quick. Need florescent vests, bikes gloves and trouser clips....before Mr Lazy's prediction that the novelty will wear off comes true.
Until next week - Love Mr and Mrs Lazy in London
NB pictures to accompany next week's blog.
*****************
There may just be hope for us yet. For years, practically my whole life, we enjoyed our lazy Sundays. Happy to let my sister and her hubby have the all the active fun. But today, we did you proud.
Sunday: We started out as usual. We normally do take the bikes out on a Sunday, but normally just to go to the other side of town to our parents, normally because they've cook some nice Indian food. Technically, our motive was actually just food, cooked well and plenty of it.
But today, we started out along the River Thames, where we live in Kingston Upon Thames, England. We stayed along the river, dodging the diligent crazy runners, Wellie-clad leisure walkers and pink baby bikers with Daddy. We soon found ourselves covered from head to toe in mud, because the pavement rapidly disappeared. (Members of my family: you should remember this when we went walking along river the the River Locks in Ham in August 2006.)
I said to myself..." W0w...Hannah would love this mud." After the second overtaking of very muddy boys on bikes and after after me telling hubby that his back was already full of mud anyways, we threw caution to the wind and joined muddy boyes splashing threw muddy puddles. Actually I'm exaggerated as it was very civiliased (with an s) as this is England after all and the Brits are very polite about not splashing other passer byers.
We followed the famous snaked path of the Thames all the way to Fulham. Zone 2 in London and 11 miles from Kingston! After a quick river bench coffee stop (I bring my themos of hot coffee everywhere, because I love food and drink and it stays hot for 4 hours) we turned around, taking the roads this time instead of the lovely, but muddy river path. The bike path sign said it was 8 miles to Kingston and we found that road bikes is alot harder because of the up and down hills; whilst also being slightly more dangerous when one considers that we were actually on a motorway (sort of...probably classified as a AA road).
So, whilst 21 miles may not be much for Tom and Hannah, we found it throughally exhausting. Me actually more than hubby; as he is somehow built like a race horse, allbeit a lazy racehorse; with endurance like a mac-truck on bio-diesel when he actually bothers too apply the accelerator.
The new sensations I've been experiencing for the rest of the day, after pushing myself as never have before after our 2 1/2 hour bike ride:
- out of breath constantly (even though it is now 8pm)
- cheeks still feeling flushed (even though it is now 8pm)
- pleasantly aching body ( expected that)
- utterly starving (much more than normal.....which means I'm just eating back all of the calories I burned.)
This is a very strange feeling, to push one's self beyond the normal threshold, beyond currently level of shape. I've really not done that very much in my life....oh except maybe that time when I beat Hannah going back up the Grand Canyon (DON'T believe her side of the story!)
So, hubby and I have decided: We are bikers. This is cool, as I feel like this day was an athletic epiphany of sorts for both of us. Finally, we found something that is physically challenging but also mentally stimulating and .... ACTUALLY enjoyable. Which is why I say there is hope after all.
My plan next weekend is to bring a change of clothes and make it all the way to Kensingston (further 2 1/2 miles and Zone 1 of London!) so we can go into the museums. Hubby's idea was just to bring sandwiches along to join the coffee thermos on the river bench. I like that idea too.
I immediately went out this afternoon to buy 'bike gear' now, hurry quick. Need florescent vests, bikes gloves and trouser clips....before Mr Lazy's prediction that the novelty will wear off comes true.
Until next week - Love Mr and Mrs Lazy in London
NB pictures to accompany next week's blog.
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1 comment:
I can't believe I've finally met someone who has used whilst in a sentence.
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