Monday, July 18, 2011

waterparks and bicycles

            Well it has been a couple of weeks, but in my defense, I have been busy.  Went mountain biking last weekend and hung out at Zoombezi Bay with amber this weekend.  For those who don’t know, Zoombezi Bay is a water park connected to the zoo here in Columbus.  There are massive waterslides, wave pools, expensive mediocre food, kids everywhere and lazy rivers.  It was definitely packed.  Not only was it a hot Saturday afternoon but it was kid’s fest.  We didn’t know until we got there.  On the plus side, there is the lazy river for adults only.  That’s right no one under 21 aloud in.  No screaming kids rough housing and splashing around.  Just me and amber floating around peacefully with a handful of other kid less refugees escaping the horror of being parents in a water park.  Not only does it offer cool water and a relaxing float away from the main park, but it circles around a bar.  Awe a refreshing beer to cool us off from lying in the sun.  We stayed for a few hours then headed home to enjoy the rest of the evening in air condition, eat steak, and drink more beer. 
            For the past few weeks a annual event has been taking place in France.  That’s right “le Tour De France,” 2200 miles through France and nearby countries in 21 stages on a bicycle.  Not even a comfortable bike with a big padded seat, but a tiny little piece of carbon fiber.  Now I have been watching the tour for about 5 years now and have learned a few things and become familiar with a few riders.  Like every sport I have my favorite riders.  Lance of course was my number 1 mainly because the first year I watched it he was the only one I knew, he was American so I could pronounce his name, and he was good.  Well since he isn’t racing this year I have to root for my number 2, Alberto Contador from Spain.  He is a good rider and was on Lance’s team last year and has won the tour a couple of times.  Other riders include Cadel Evans (Australian), the Schleck bros (Andy and frank, Luxembourg riders), Christian Vande Velde (American rider) and about 145 other riders I can’t pronounce their names.  The tour first made its debut in 1903 and was only five stages long.  The first American to win was Greg lemond in 1986 then again in ’89 and ’90.  So if you find yourself a little interested you can go online and check it out or watch a little on TV. 
            Since in the past I have talked about diet and fitness and now i'm talking about a long bike race in France, I have come across a website for everyone who wants to get a little in shape or watch what they eat.  Livestrong.com is a fantastic site that offers a plethora of information and tools to help you live a little healthier life.  It offers recipes, workout plans, you can track your calories and exercise hours, and it will help you build your own exercise plan.  Best part about it is that it’s free to sign up.  It’s really a good way to help me keep an idea of what I need not to do like eat a payday after lunch and eat an apple instead.  You can build a goal like mine which is losing 1lb each week until the wedding.  So on “my plate” it tells me how many calories I’m allowed each day and if I do some exercise it will show it on my calorie counter.  So if you’re thinking about doing a little something for your health then try it out. 
            So my challenge for the week is to keep up with my tracking on Livestrong.com and see the end results in a week.  If you decide to sign up my user name is kakanoe, you can send me a message to let me know your going to try it out.  So until next week, keep your wheels straight and pedal hard.


“Fools look to tomorrow. Wise men use tonight.”                   -Scottish proverb

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