Weekend Recap: Competition and Sweating

Photo by Josh Bassett Photography

This weekend was a beautiful one and I had plenty of time to do lots of sweating which felt really great after my three days off last week. Most of this sweating involved competition.

Photo by Josh Bassett Photography

It started with my soccer game on Saturday afternoon. It was the first round of playoffs and we, the #3 ranked team, were playing the #1 ranked team. The winner would go on to play in the league final immediately after the game. We dominated, as we often do, but we had very much trouble scoring, as we always do. We missed a million chances, hitting the post too many times, and lost 1-0 on a silly goal. So we missed the opportunity to play for the championship and sweat hard for an extra hour. But there's always next year... hopefully.

Photo by Josh Bassett Photography

Photo by Josh Bassett Photography

Saturday night, I kept competing, when my friends pulled out catch phrase at a party. If you have never played catch phrase, you must do so asap. It is one of the easiest, most transportable, fun and competitive [board] games. It is perfect for an all-night game night or for a party pre-game. My team won 2 of 3 games. Yes, that is important information for me to share in a post about competition. I'm competitive, can you tell?

Sunday morning I rolled out of bed and went to frisbee. With only 6 other players on the field, I knew I was in for a good workout. We played three games and my team lost two, both in overtime. By the end, I was caked in a delicious combination of sweat, sunscreen and dirt. But my legs were craving a better burn and my face was craving a self-made breeze. So I changed my shorts, in the middle of a crowded rock creek park field, sent Josh home with my cleats, and hopped on Charlie (my bike) for 20.74 blissful miles up and down hill. I rode up Beach drive and continued on an unfamiliar route up a long and hard hill that landed me next the the Mormon Temple.

 Then I turned around, sped back down the hill, and headed home. According to my pretty new bike computer, I averaged 15.4 MPH. I'm pleased with that considering I spent some time on trails slowly navigating among people and rode up a good number of short and long hills. Though I do love to compete, this bike ride, during which I had no one to race but myself, turned out to be my best sweat session of the weekend. If the going ever gets tough on my 3,000 mile ride (which I guarantee you, it will), I will think about those 20 solo miles during which I did little else besides pedal and daydream about the adventure ahead. It was beautiful and I came home with 23,209 grease tattoos to show for it.

 How was your weekend? Full of blissful sunshine and sweating, I hope!