Friday, June 8, 2012

Embrace Your Banana!

I have never been an athlete. When it comes to moving, I subscribe to the 2000 Year Old Man's (Mel Brooks in famous interviews with Carl Reiner) explanation (well, one of them) as to his longevity. In order to live a long life, he believes one should 'never run for a bus. There will always be another'. I heartily agree, and so it is for that reason, plus not enjoying sweating that I do not run.

And I hate swimming. When I was a kid in swimming class and couldn't swim far, my instructor would step on my hand as I'd reach for the pool ledge. I can swim, but I don't enjoy it.

To quote my late father, "I hate the winter so much, I hate it from last year", so there goes all winter activities (although I have tried snowshoeing and enjoyed it, but that's an anomoly).

I do not play any sports. The only thing I really love to do is walk. I can walk long distances and truly enjoy it. And hiking. That's fun, too.

Now, enter New Hubby, the 'anti-me' when it comes to all things outdoors. He's a tri-athlete, which means he can swim, bike and run long distances. He has run marathons. He's even done Iron Man Canada--twice. He has also participated in the Princess Margaret Ride to Conquer Cancer every year since its inception.

For two years, I watched him train for that 200k ride, taking him from Toronto to Hamilton on Day 1, and then Hamilton to Niagara Falls on Day 2. I would meet him in Hamilton and then again at the finish line. It's quite impressive. And it's all for a good cause. I don't know what got into me, but last year when he finished the ride, I told him that I would do the ride with him this year, but with a catch--we would do it on his tandem--a bicycle built for two (I ain't getting on no bike myself...gave that up when I was twelve). The deal was simple; he would ride, and I would sip pina coladas and wave. He accepted, and I forgot all about it....until February, when he reminded me of my promise.

And so, we began to train. We started indoors--hated that. He tried so hard, letting me watch the Food Channel while we pedalled away. Anything to get me pumped. Didn't work. Still hated it.

Finally, the weather warmed up enough to start biking outdoors. Slowly, slowly I began to build up my strength and stamina. He took me on rides with beautiful scenery to make it interesting. He didn't overwork me. He gave me the 'spa' treatment...I didn't even have to fill my water bottle or get the snacks. He did it all. All I had to do was ride.

Before I knew it, I was conquering one challenge after another, training for the big day. First, I began building my stamina. Next, I attacked some pretty steep hills, including the dreaded (in my mind) Niagara Escarpment. I even succeeded riding through cold and wind. It seemed that I was almost ready for the Ride, until I had to face the final, unspoken personal challenge. I had to get through eating a banana.

As a child, my brother used to sing a little song to me, "Bananas are my favourite, because they have a-ppeal'. Well, not to me, they don't. I don't like them. I don't like how they smell and I don't like how they taste. The conundrum is however, that bananas are the absolute perfect cycling food.

Yes, bananas are considered a super-food for athletes. They contain three natural sugars, glucose, fructose and sucrose which provide enough carbs and sugar to fuel the ride. Also, they have lots of fibre, to keep you feeling full. Thjey are healthy, natural replacements for gels and drinks and such that athletes tend to use all the time. They just smell and taste gross.

So, it just so happened that we had some fairly firm, unripe bananas in the kitchen. New Hubby decided to take two of them on our last practice ride. When we stopped to snack, I downed half of my homemade granola bar, and thought we were done. That is, until the banana appeared. New Hubby peeled it and offered me some. I hesitated, but then imagined all of the other hurdles I had managed to conquer. I took a deep breath, took off a chunk and popped it into my mouth. And I am proud to report that it tasted......

....like a banana. But at least it wasn't too ripe, so it was okay. Another challenge ticked off the list.

Well dear readers, the only challenge that remains is the Ride itself. It takes place this weekend, June 9th and 10th. As I've said to all the wonderful donors who have sponsored me, none of what I'm doing compares to the challenges that cancer sufferers endure each day. New Hubby and I will put in the hours, climb the hills and brave the winds.

And maybe, I'll eat a banana or two along the way!

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