What Ironman Training Has Taught Me, Part I

Today begins a new segment of Project Procrastination called What Ironman Training Has Taught Me. And item #1 on the list:

1. If it is 35 degrees or lower, DO NOT leave the house for a ride without shoe booties.

See, as I stepped outside today, I felt a little chill across the toes, a breeze, if you will. I looked down and discovered that I had, in fact, forgot my booties. I said silently, "Self, what should you do? Turn around, walk 10 feet back to the house and put them on, or attempt the ride without them, because the rest of your body, which is more appropriately covered, feels okay?" Apparently, Self was unwilling to exert any more energy than necessary to a ride it didn't really want to go on in the first place. So in the end, the booties stayed home, and I, the biggest dummy of the North Shore, embarked on what would turn out to be the single coldest and most miserable ride of my short IM career.

Have you ever seen the show "Everest" on Discovery Channel? If not, the basic premise of this reality show is a group of climbers make an attempt to summit Everest. It is one of the coolest shoes on the boob tube, so I highly recommend it. However, the series recently ended for the season, so you might be able to catch a marathon showing, or simply pick up the DVD from your friendly neighborhood video store. But back to my point....what was I saying?

Oh right. See, on this show, in the last episode, a bunch of the climbers get frostbite. That stuff actually turns your digits black. Black. Seriously. Totally gross. Anyhoo, when I arrived home, I took off my sock and expected to see the same fate, a set of black, swollen toes. Alas, it did not happen, but they hurt nonetheless. Note to self: This is a lesson learned for being lazy.

I need to take along hot shower now. And that makes for item #2:

2. The sole redeeming factor of a long cold training day is a long hot shower. By long I mean at least an hour, and by hot I mean melt your skin off.

Later.