Digging out thorn bushes for a workout...

Saturday, April 13, 2013

I started the morning at Mimi’s place prepared to do some painting, but finding it too cold.  Instead, we looked over the yard at the multitude of things that needed to happen.  The property between her and her neighbors is a mini-forest with a creek running through it and many wild flowers growing.  There were huge, downed limbs in the area and I decided to remove them, but as I moved through the woods, my clothes were continually snagged by the wild thorn bushes growing there.

“This will not do, Mimi.  I’m cutting those things out of there so we can walk in and enjoy the flowers,” I said.

I’ve never been a fan of thorn bushes, but who is?  I like to travel off-trail in the woods and never appreciate their presence, which can force me to take wide berths I didn’t want to take.  I grabbed some hedge trimmers to snip their butts, but then decided instead on a shovel.  For the next two hours, I sweated profusely in the cold morning air as I dug them up by the roots.  There must have been fifty different plants with roots running every which way.  I dug and chopped and cursed, but they came out.  I dragged them deeper into the woods behind the house, where I didn’t need to tread, and dumped their lousy carcasses.  Good riddance.

Between the shoveling, raking, picking up downed limbs, and hauling, I was able to work the better part of five hours and burn a decent amount of calories.  It was cold and a rain/hail mix falling finally chased me inside to complete some other chores before finishing and heading to Jason’s rugby match where I again found myself out in the elements and developing a healthy chill.  I managed to keep somewhat warm by moving onto the field to take pictures.  I was using a zoom lens, which can be problematic.  I start to lose perspective as to my placement and the action on the field.  Now and again, I find myself backpedalling quickly as I realize the players aren’t across the field, but actually within feet of running me over.  I don’t think they’d care much except they wouldn’t get my fantastic pictures of the action if they killed me and damaged the camera.

When I finally got home, I climbed on the trainer for an hour, which easily warmed me up.  It’s been so long since I’ve taken a decent ride outside that I’m starting to wonder about riding 58 miles on Thursday.  Though I know I could handle the distance, I’m thinking four hours in the saddle is going to leave me more than a little sore for my turkey dinner that night.  We’ll see how I feel that day.  Attitude is everything.

Yard work:  Five hours.  Bike duration:  60 minutes.

Training Heart Rate:  80-100 for yard work and 120 bpm on the bike.
Calories burned during workout:  1500 for yard work and 850 on the bike.