In a previous life I lived in Hong Kong for a couple of years where I was working as a field implementation manager. I frequently had lunch with my install and technical crews - all of them locals. We'd usually stop at out of the way, off the beaten path places for lunch. We'd eat Chinese style - they'd order a ton of dishes which were placed in the middle of the table, then everyone would grab whatever they wanted. Most times I recognized what I was eating but occasionally I'd grab something that I didn't recognize. When I'd ask the guys what it was they'd smile, bob their heads, jabber in Chinese for a bit, chuckle and then say "you really don't want to know.". It didn't matter - whatever the heck it was it was great.
Much later I learned what it was that I was eating. Usually it was pretty mundane - chicken, beef, or vegetables and the like. However there were also few that weren't so mundane - snake, shark fin, chicken feet, various organs, etc. Had I known what many of them were I'm sure I wouldn't have tried them. Turns out I really like snake a lot. Fish cheeks are another favorite. Who would have guessed.
I missed the weather report before I headed out for the health club this morning. I did my usual swim and spin class, and then got on my tights and layered up for my run outside. I got a lot of "you've gotta be kidding me" looks from the regulars. I popped out the doors and hit the road.
About a mile in to the run my run watch began updating itself in slow motion - apparently the liquid crystal was turning to sludge. My iPod bagged it at mile 2. My goatee, eye brows, and the front of my hat were covered by a layer of frost by the end of my 3.5 mile run. Despite all this I was quite comfortable and had a great run. Must be in the 20's I thought.
Back at the health club I caught the weather on TV while I was walking by. 4 degrees. -2 wind chill. Had I known that it was that cold before my run I might have punted. I would have come up with dozens of excuses why I shouldn't run outside. Dennis would have been thrilled to help out - he's great at coming up with excuses to bag a workout. As it was, I didn't know. By not knowing how cold it was, I didn't think about it. Didn't stress over it. And it was great. Kind of like snake but a little more slippery.
Workout Summary
2 comments:
I think I'm going to have to use that line: "kind of like snake but a little more slippery." That's classic!
Fish cheeks are awesome! I've been eating them since before I found out they were considered a delicacy. I guess this came about because there were 5 kids in my family, and I took to picking meat off the bones of fish, chicken, beef, you name it.
You are better than me. I am not running outside now. But there's a purpose--my body gets reset and the treadmill is nice and soft and I can precisely control the speed.
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