Week 42 - Day Three: Quarterhorse

BIKE: Eastwood
TIME THERE: 56 min. (walking)
TIME BACK: 32 min. (biking, including a fruitless stop at MEC on the way home to get a replacement spoke; sadly, they don't carry them, so I'll have to go to Revolution Cycle for that)
WEATHER: partly cloudy, 13C, 7 km/hr wind there; overcast, 19C, 9 km/hr crosswinds back.
WHAT I WORE: yoga pants (oh my GOD I need shorts!!), t-shirt
NOTES:

Gather round, children: let me tell you a little something about breeds of horses.

The American Quarterhorse is a muscular, agile horse traditionally used for herding. They are built for quick turns, stopping on a dime, walking all day with the herd, and galloping fast over short distances. They are often found on working ranches, at trail riding facilities, and rodeos.

The Thoroughbred is tall and elegant horse, with long legs and lean muscles. They are built for athletics: they are fast, have great endurance, and are among the most elegant breed of the species. Given their builds and the rigorous early training they often endure, Thoroughbreds are prone to injuries in their legs. They are often found in elite sports stables, such as those at racetracks and jumping facilities.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am a Quarterhorse. This is something I've concluded recently, after adding yet another piece of evidence to the pile. The most recent evidence I have for this is that I've realized I love sprinting. And I can be pretty fast for someone as overweight as I am. At my current fitness level, I really can't keep up my top speed for more than a block or so at a time, but I love me some of those start-and-stop sprints. And, strangely enough for someone who has a long history of hip and knee joint pain, I've found that jogging irritates the hell out of my joints but sprinting doesn't. In fact, sprinting feels great!

This sprinting evidence is added to the other information I already have about myself that points to me being a Quarterhorse rather than a Thoroughbred: I'm muscular, I put on muscle and fat quite easily but lose it with some difficulty, I've always been fast over short distances (I even managed to represent my school at track meets for the 100-metre dash despite being obese as a kid!), and my body does very well with walking as my main form of exercise. Combine that with my new-found love (and ease) of sprinting, and you've got yourself a genuine Quarterhorse!

The problem as I see it is that I suspect things like running and road biking are sports for people who are Thoroughbreds. Sports like football and mountain biking are more suited to Quarterhorses. Perhaps this is the reason that I feel more and more drawn to trying out mountain biking as my interest in road biking (like doing that upcoming triathlon in September) declines. This may also be why I've been having such a great time alternating walk- and bike-commuting instead of bike-commuting all day every day. Maybe I should go back to riding through the river valley, but take more mountain-bikey routes instead of following the paved path. That might be a lot more fun, and a lot more suited to me. Ooh, now there's a thought . . .

So, what are you? Quarterhorse or Thoroughbred?