Bike to Work Week 2011 - Day 5

I am fatigued today and slightly grumpy.  My legs don’t seem to want to pump.  Once I get going, though, blood starts flowing, and I begin to feel better.  Temps are warmer than previous mornings.  I sit back on the downhills and turn my face to the sun.

It's the warmest day of the week, and since I have nowhere special to be on this Friday evening, I take my time on the ride home.  I hit every traffic light wrong and encounter even weirder obstacles than usual - like a grocery cart on its side, taking up the entire sidewalk.  Good thing I'm not in a hurry.

I get thinking, as I ride, about what to do next, now that Bike to Work Week is over.  Then I wonder if there needs to be a next thing.  Not really.  It’s good enough that I did this, that I took on a new challenge and went for it with gusto.  Most people don’t and won’t.  Will I do it again next year?  Sure, if the circumstances are right.  It’s been worth it.

I decide that I’m not going to ride every day to work.  I often have meetings outside the office, so it’s not really practical to totally commit to bicycle commuting.  But, once-a-week on Fridays sounds good.  I need a bigger and better backpack to carry food and water… and maybe some panniers so I can carry clothes with me, instead of having to bring them in ahead of time.  A road bike, rather than my mountain bike, might be good, too.

As I pedal into my complex, a big grin splits my face.  I just biked a whole week to work, and overall, it went great!  I set a goal, and I totally accomplished it.  I am proud and happy. Woohoo!

• Best smells of the week: fried chicken and cinnamon buns
• Best part of the ride: bike surfing underneath a wave of camellia bushes growing over the sidewalk near the Washington/Rancho intersection
• Best comment of the week: being told I’m “fit and trim” by a colleague when I share with her that I’m bike commuting for the week
• Most challenging ride: super windy evening commute on Monday , Day 1

Bike to Work Week 2011 - Day 4

The alarm goes off at 6 a.m., and I stretch with a small groan.  My body feels compressed.  I think it’s from hunching over the handlebars.  Aside from that, though, I feel good.  I’m on a high from my great voice-over class the night before, and I’m excited that I’ve almost made it through Bike to Work Week. 

Time to change things up by bringing food to work.  It has occurred to me that, so far, my bicycle commute hasn’t been very cost-effective.  Although I haven’t been buying gas, I have been spending money every day on water and food.  I usually bring my breakfast and lunch when I drive.  Seemed like too much trouble when I started this at the beginning of the week.  I have a puny backpack that can only hold so much. 

But this morning, I stuff some double chocolate Vitatops, a couple of Quorn cutlets and a jar of pomegranate salsa into the pack along with everything else.  Thinking ahead, I double bag the salsa so that I won’t have a soggy mess if I take a tumble or drop my pack.  I bring cash for water.

I’m pleased with myself.  Now I’m really making this alternative transportation thing work on all levels!

Because I was planning to ride to voice-over class the previous night, I took a slightly different route home.  It was eye-opening . The sidewalk was much better, with fewer traffic lights and consistent curb cuts.  I take this route this morning.  It’s slightly longer and a better workout, and I knock another 20 seconds off my time.  Sweet!

There are no weird weather advisories, and the late afternoon is warm when I head out.  I ride with my zip-up sweatshirt tied around my waist. 

The warmer temps make me rather lazy.  I don’t feel like pedaling furiously to get home.  I let my mind drift and pedal  at whatever intensity feels right.  Despite my lack of ambition, I make my best time home of the week.

Wow!  Day 4 is already over.  Only one more day to go.    

Bike to Work Week 2011 - Day 3

I’m feeling stronger today, less fatigued, maybe because I got some decent sleep.  As I carry the bike down the stairs, I can feel right away that something’s different.  It’s windy… in the morning!  Up to now, the wind has confined itself to afternoon hours, so I’m surprised.  For a moment, I question my comparatively effortless morning commute.  This might be a bit more challenging than I’m used to.

Although the winds periodically gust as I pedal the 6½ miles to my office building, they never really raise a ruckus.  Wind worries behind me, I’m rocking out to my music when my tires crunch loudly.  Uh oh.  I’ve just ridden over a broken beer bottle.  Ugh.  I’ve never changed a flat before.   I know; I know.  I seriously need a course in basic bike maintenance.  I’ve been way too lucky so far.  Will my tires go flat?  Will I be walking my bike home tonight?

Deciding that there’s nothing I can do about it now, I get back to pedaling.  It’s a good ride, and I cut my time by 3 minutes.

By now, I feel almost at home in the locker room on the first floor as I shower and get ready for work.  My dark blue towel looks natural hanging between the shower and the handicap stall.   I leave my shampoo, soap and razor on the shower shelf every day, with no worries that they’ll be gone when I return. 

So far, only two people have come into the locker room while I’ve been in there, one person on Monday and Tuesday and another this morning.  This morning’s visitor is very helpful; she flicks a switch as she walks in, asking me how I can apply my makeup in the dark.  Yeah, I admit it; I didn’t realize there was more light. The locker room has a forgotten feel to it, so I just figured I was doomed to dimness.   I’ve been leaning into the mirror, squinting to better see the foundation I’ve been smoothing onto my cheeks,  fingers crossed that it looks okay.  Thanks, unnamed friendly co-worker, for literally enlightening me!

For the second time in two days, my morning news scan has me nervous.  There’s a weather advisory for rain and thunderstorms, including the possibility of hail.  I have voice-over class tonight, and I really don’t want to be looking like a drowned rat when I arrive.  I also haven’t ridden on wet roads on my bicycle yet.  In Vegas, wet roads can be very dangerous.  The dry, hard-packed earth doesn’t readily absorb water.  The liquid combines with the oils on the tarmac to create black-ice-like conditions: super slippery.  It’s tricky to deal with in a car; I can only imagine how it’ll be on a bike.

However, the weather gods are looking out for me again today.  There’s a hard rain about an hour before I leave, but after that, the skies clear.  I make my best time home of the week.  I make such good time, in fact, that I have a few minutes to change before driving the car to voice-over class. 

Day 3 is behind me.  I’m more than halfway through Bike to Work Week!  Woohoo!

Bike to Work Week 2011 - Day 2

I start a bit late today.  I had a meeting after my ride the night before and then popped into a birthday party after that.  It was a long night, and I didn’t get much sleep.  Maybe that’s why I’m running a bit late and feeling tired as I hop on my bike around 6:30 a.m. for the second day of Bike to Work Week.

It’s amazing what a ten-minute time difference can make in terms of who’s out and about in the early morning.   A couple miles into my ride, I start hitting school zones, and there are more kids on the sidewalk than yesterday morning.  There’s also more road traffic, including buses.  One of ‘em comes along right as I’m using the bus lane to avoid sidewalk strollers without merging fully onto the road.  It’s a slow-speed close call, with the bus’s back wall passing mere inches from my shoulder.  I don’t like being so near the giant hunk of metal on wheels.  It makes me acutely aware of how small and insubstantial I am on my bike.

The rest of the ride is uneventful, and except for feeling tired, I’ve enjoyed the commute.

I scan online media for my job, and my review this morning turns up a disturbing article in the local paper.  The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory til 11 p.m. - 20-30 mph winds with gusts around 45-50 mph.  Yikes!  The previous night’s ride home was pretty brutal, and that forecast does not bode well.  I cringe as I read, and then post it on Facebook.

My post generates several offers of a ride home.  It’s tempting.  As the afternoon wears on, I’m still feeling tired and not relishing the prospect of struggling against Mother Nature.  One offer includes dinner, and I almost say yes.  I don’t, though, because I’ve set a goal for myself, and I want to see it through.  Plus, I have no plans after work, so does it really matter if I have to walk the bike home?  It’s only 6½ miles.  I’m from New England, so maybe it’s my Puritanical roots showing themselves when I think, “it’s good for you!”

As I get changed at the end of the day, I’m apprehensive.  When I roll outside and get going, I’m pleasantly surprised.  The winds aren’t blowing at all!  

I’m pedaling down a torn up sidewalk about two miles from home, and it’s like a driving test.  I’m weaving in between lampposts and industrial-sized trash cans and cardboard boxes, like a student driver navigates through orange cones.  In one instance, I’m navigating those same cones on my bike because they’re inexplicably scattered on the sidewalk.  Another time, I ride over what looks like a Persian carpet.  It’s folded roughly in half, like it fell off a moving truck. 

As I ride I notice the other non-car travelers: young kids on BMX bikes, men on slim 10-speeds who probably lost their licenses due to excessive DUIs, ambling day laborers wearing ball caps.  I wonder what they think of me as I pass by in my helmet and pink zip-up sweatshirt with ‘Boston’ printed across the front.  We are all a little bit out of the mainstream.  Ours is a car-centric society, particularly in Vegas where sidewalks suddenly disappear and bike lanes are a rarity.

I feel a bit of relief when I’m able to finish my ride on the suburban back streets.  There’s less traffic, and the sidewalks are nice.  I ride on the road without concern.  My body relaxes, and I feel like I can finally enjoy the trip. 

Day 2 is in the can.  I did it once again, and despite my earlier worries, it was pretty okay.

Bike to Work Week 2011 - Day 1

6:15 a.m.  It’s an unseasonably cool mid-May morning in Vegas, about 60 degrees.  I’m carrying my bike down the stairs of my second-floor condo.  Sure, I have a garage, but I don’t keep my bike in it.  Our neighborhood has declined a bit.  I’m nervous about leaving my precious two-wheeler in an easily penetrable tin-fronted box that also contains a trashed motorcycle and a defunct fridge.

One last check before I start my 6½ mile ride to work.  My husband tweaked and oiled my gears a few minutes ago.  My tires are firm, filled with plenty of air.  My clothes, shoes and jewelry for the week are already at the office along with a towel and other “getting ready” stuff.  I ride to work periodically, so I keep a bag there, ready to accompany me to the locker room on the first floor.  My other necessities – wallet, makeup bag, windbreaker, bottle of ibuprofen, etc. – are stuffed into a small backpack.  My iPhone is snug in its Otterbox, protected from any drops that may befall it on the ride.  I’ve opened the RunKeeper app so I can easily start recording my stats when I’m underway.

I start my music, and I’m off!

May is National Bike Month, and May 16-20 this year is Bike to Work Week.  I could have just gone with Bike to Work Day on Friday, the 20th, but I wanted to see how it’d be to ride for a full week.  I was worried about the heat because Vegas can get warm in the afternoon in May, but I should have been more worried about the wind.

My ride to work involves a very slight downhill slope all the way.  Depending on traffic and lights, I can make it in 30-40 minutes, and those are easy minutes.  The ride back, however, is a different story.  It has a couple of short, steep uphill spots right away, and then it’s a gradual incline the rest of the way.  In the heat of the day, it can be uncomfortable.  In the wind, it’s miserable.   

Winds tonight, at 5:15 p.m., are blowing 15-25 mph.  It feels like it’s skewing to the higher end.  I have a meeting at 6, and I know within a few minutes that I’m going to be delayed.  Thank goodness I gave my colleague a heads-up that I’d be riding.  At least I am not stressed about being late.

As I ride, I think over the day.  It was a bit gloomy, with head-shaking and some unhappy people.  Not horrible but kinda blue.  It feels good to shake it off by having to focus on the ride.  As the miles fall away, I forget all about the down day and focus on fighting the wind. 

Normally, the music helps, but tonight it’s not inspiring me particularly.  I wonder why I decided to do this.  Who’s idea was it?  Oh, yeah… it was mine.  No one asked me to do it.  In fact, my husband would prefer I don’t do it.  He worries about the cars in this un-bike-friendly town.  I share his concerns, to a milder degree, which is why I ride predominantly on the sidewalk.  It’s illegal but safer. 

But I’m glad to be doing it.  It feels productive, like I’m making the best use of my commute.  I’m getting my exercise for the day; I’m saving money and fuel and the environment; I’m experiencing my world in a whole different way.  I like setting a goal and seeing it through, even when it’s uncomfortable or inconvenient or slightly dangerous. 

My muscles strain as I pump against the wall of wind, and my eyes tear so much I almost can’t see.  I don’t need my sunglasses for glare;  I need them to protect me from the wind and dust.  By the time I arrive at my appointment, I feel gritty.  But, I’m pleased with myself, even a little proud.

I did it! I blocked out the time on my calendar, brought my clothes in, prepped my bike and got up early to do this thing.   I overcame nerves and laziness, and I did it.  Now I just need to do it for four more days.  

Triathlon Training: Learning to Run

Running has been the bane of my existence since I was a kid.  I've already shared, I think, that the only sport I was picked for back then was tug-o-war, and only for the anchor spot.  Not a badge of honor for a teenage girl who just wanted to fit in.  Team sports terrified me, and PE was my personal nightmare.  Anything that involved running made me want to find a closet and hide in it until the world went away.

With my lifestyle change, however, came a new appreciation of what my body could do.  I grew strong and fit, and was able to see and do things that my previous self could not imagine.  I still didn't run, though.  I stair climbed, hiked, did aerobics, tried Pilates and yoga, boulder scrambled, did the elliptical, biked, did plyometrics, worked out with weights... but no running.

That is, until last year, when I did my first adventure race, the Muddy Buddy.  Luckily, the Muddy Buddy didn't require too much running.  In fact, it involved a team of two alternating between running and biking to a variety of obstacles.  THIS was fun.  THIS was running worth doing... because it was running in small spurts, and it wasn't about the running.  It was about the obstacles.

Last year, I also did the Warrior Dash in Colorado, which is where the pic accompanying this post was taken.  In this pic, I'm at the very end of the race.  The race was only about 3.5 miles.  But much of it was uphill, and the obstacles were challenging, particularly the two rows of fire we had to jump over right before we finished.  You can see the strain on my face.

When I became a founding member of the Girls on the Run council of Las Vegas, I knew I was going to have to face my running issue.  Girls on the Run is a non-profit youth development program that encourages pre-teen girls to develop self-respect and healthy lifestyles through running. I joined the council - and took a leadership role - because I wanted to help girls learn how great it is to be healthy and fit and feel good about themselves.  I wish I had learned it when I was a kid.  Instead, I've had to do a lot of extra work as an adult to teach myself those lessons now, and they're lessons I am still learning.

The 24-lesson Girls on the Run curriculum closes with a 5k running event.  Once I committed to the group, I knew I'd have to conquer my fear of running so that I could share the joy of the 5k with the girls.

So this year, I've been making myself run some 5ks on my own.  To make it more official, I signed up for a moonlight 5k trail run.  It's coming up in mid-May.  Then, when I learned that there were such things as "sprint" triathlons, where the run is only 5k, I had to sign up.  My first triathlon is coming up on April 30, and - in another first - I've been doing formal training for it through The Fitness Source.

You can't do a triathlon without straight-on, nothing-else-but running, and Stephanie at The Fitness Source makes sure we do plenty of it (in addition to biking and swimming).  The more you practice, the better you get, right?  Ironically enough, that really is right!  Besides the practice, I've learned that wearing a good bra and actual running shoes help a lot, too.  Positive self-talk, as corny as it sounds when I'm saying it to myself, carries me through as well.  When I feel like I'm going to have to walk, I tell myself: "you're light as air; you're gliding over the road."  It works!

I've dropped more than a minute off my per-mile time since starting training.  Even more important, though, I've started getting comfortable with running.  It doesn't feel great.  I don't get the runner's high or anything.  But, I don't dread running as much as I used to, and I feel more natural when I do it.

I have about four more weeks before my triathlon.  I'm hoping I'll be feeling even stronger in running by then.  Especially because the week after the tri, I'll be doing the Tough Mudder in Mount Snow, Vermont, which will be a 10-miles course.  Yowsa!  There'll be obstacles breaking things up, but that's still a lot of running.

Good thing I'm learning to run.

Brick-Building

Since triathlons are made up of three different sports disciplines, all happening one right after the other on the same day, it's important to practice doing a couple of those sports in the same workout.  Doing this is called a brick.  Interesting terminology!

I did my first brick yesterday: a bike/run combo.  We biked 10 miles and then ran two miles.  Like the open-water swim clinic last weekend, this training exercise was eye-opening for me.  Although I ride significant distances, my routes are often broken up by stoplights or other activities, like biking to someplace, staying a while, and then biking back.

This workout gave me the chance to ride continuously and then feel what it's like to transition into running.  The change from one sport to the other feels funky, and not just because you're tired when you hop off the bike and start running.  You're using different muscles, and it takes your body a bit of time to adjust.

BeginnerTriathlete.com describes it this way:

When you stop biking and start running the legs feel “strange” and heavy (this is why they call these workouts bricks!) and the heart rate goes up, as our body tries to switch the blood from flowing into the muscles used for biking to those used for running. This feeling is more pronounced at the start of the run and usually the legs get better as time passes - although probably never as fresh as those you have when you run without biking before it (I wonder why?! ). Brick workouts help shorten the time our legs take to start feeling more normal thus allowing us to run better and faster. It is not uncommon to experience cramps when starting to run after biking, especially if you are not used to it. As usual, listen to your body and slow down if you feel a cramp coming. A carbo gel and water will also help if you are experiencing cramps due to the decrease in muscle fuel.

This was another great training experience for me, each of which are gradually easing the nervousness I have for what's to come on race day.  I'm already looking forward to the next one!

The wetsuit is scarier than the water

The route of our open-water swim: we headed from shore to the  yellow buoy and back, a distance of 340 meters. Look at the trees; no doubt about the 25-35 mph winds that day! Yay! I got the wetsuit on:  right side out AND frontwards. There may be hope for me yet! Aquawoman!

As soon as I stumbled on the Iron Girl Triathlon website, there was no turning back.  I saw that colorful, flower-shaped logo, and I was hooked.  Reading further sealed the deal.  This was a *sprint* triathlon: a nifty, miniature three-sport race, comprised of an 800-meter swim, an 18.6-mile bike ride and a 3.1-mile run.  This athletic gem was within my capabilities. Although I knew I could do it, I also knew I'd need training.  Training is a bit foreign to me.  Other than a few joint sessions with a personal trainer, I've never specifically trained for any event.  Of course, I'd never done any events, either, until last year. I've done pretty well with my own quirky workout techniques.  For all the events I did last year, I came in middle-of-the-pack.  Not bad, IMHO.  I did the Muddy Buddy in March 2010, after only about a month riding a bicycle (since high school) and no running experience.  I had  the most "training" for Scale the Strat because I'd been doing multiple sets of stairs at work for years.  I'm not sure I could have trained for the Warrior Dash in Colorado; how do you train to crawl under barbed wire or jump over 4-foot walls of fire?  Some things, ya just gotta go with. But a triathlon is different.  Layering three different sports takes preparation, so I decided to get some help.  That lead me to Stephanie at The Fitness Source, a charming gal who explained her program to me and invited me to an open-water swim clinic out at Lake Las Vegas, the site of the Iron Girl race.  The only catch: I was gonna need a wetsuit.

A what?! I'm from New England, baby. I have splashed around with the best of 'em in the frigid Atlantic Ocean, coming out shivering, blue and wrinkled, wearing a big grin after hours in the water. I don't need a wetsuit!

Well, according to Stephanie, I needed one. Grumbling to myself, I remembered that I reached out to her for her expertise, and perhaps I'd better listen to her suggestions.

So, the evening before the clinic, I headed to Las Vegas Cyclery to try on a rental wetsuit. The clerk asked my height and weight and pulled out three suits for me to try. I slipped into the bathroom and tried to slip into a wetsuit. Nothin' doin'. I pulled and tugged and hopped until I sorta got the suit on. There was no zipping it on my own. I pulled at the fabric; seemed like it would zip up - with help. I redressed and took the suit out the desk.

It wasn't until the clerk turned the suit right side out that I realized I'd tried it on inside out. No wonder it wasn't going on! I was embarrassed even though he had no idea. Good thing I didn't say anything!

I got the suit home and shared the story with my husband, who proceeded to laugh hysterically. He laughed even harder when I tried the suit on again, backwards this time. Ugh! Was there no end to the trials and tribulations of this darn wetsuit!?! And how was I going to avoid looking like a complete boob at tomorrow's clinic??

I finally got the suit on correctly, and Mike zipped me up. It was super snug, but I could move in it. Okay... that was good. How was I going to handle getting it on the next day, though? Should I wear the suit in the car out to Lake Las Vegas - a 45-minute drive? Or, should I rely on the kindness of complete strangers to zip me into the neoprene sausage casing when I got there?

In the end, I chose faith in my fellow competitors, and one of them was gracious enough to zip me up once I got the suit on - helped by something called Body Glide. Another couple of benevolent strangers loaned me a swim cap and goggles. I was completely unaware that I needed them. Doh!

It was brisk out at Lake Las Vegas: 55 degrees in the air, 50 degrees in the water with 25-35 mph winds. We were actually glad to be wearing our wetsuits on land. The coordinator of the clinic told us we were champs just to be there because the conditions were "hardcore". I felt pretty badass. I'd braved the conditions and conquered the wetsuit; the water had nothin' on me.

And, it really didn't have anything on me when we finally headed into the lake. It was a little chilly, especially when I splashed some water down the front of my suit to build a layer of liquid insulation for the swim. Once I got going, though, I was fine. The hardest part was actually the wind raising a stinging spray and hindering my vision, even with the goggles. Side swimming helped with that.

It was surprising how draining the wind and the cold were, but I still completed the 340-meter course, just under half of what I'll be doing on April 30th for the race.

I came out empowered, knowing that the wetsuit was the worst of it, and since I'd beaten that beast down, I'd be fine with the water.

Being an athlete

My timing chip! At the climbers' staging area With our friend Darren, who climbed as well. He's an F15 pilot and a runner. He's so tall that I had to stand on tiptoes! With my husband Mike, who was waiting for me at the top ♥

Last year, when I first scaled the Stratosphere, climbing 1,455 stairs spanning 108 floors, I had no idea what to expect.  I was so nervous!  I was excited about supporting the American Lung Association, and I'd been "training" for this type of event for years.  But, when I showed up at registration and saw all the amazingly fit people wandering around, I was intimidated.  I suddenly felt like a fraud, like I didn't belong.  The same feeling hit me this year. It's a recurring theme.  I describe myself as an "oddball" adventurer mostly because I don't fit the vision I have of an athlete or adventure racer. I am not in perfect shape. I am not a runner. I do not train at the gym or with a personal trainer. I hated P.E. and did not play sports in high school. Bottom line: I don't look like an athlete.  Even after losing more than 100 pounds, I am still round and look soft despite all the muscle mass I have. So, all the super fit peeps chatting about their strategies and times kinda bummed me out.  To make things worse, this year, I finished two minutes slower.  It took me 19 minutes to climb, instead of 17.  That was tough for me.  Since I started competing last year, I've said that I do these things to challenge myself, not to set a time.  In every race I've entered, I've placed in the middle of the pack, and I've been okay with it.  But, it was disappointing not to match my own record. The question is: does being a little slower invalidate the whole endeavor?  It felt like that, but I know that's not true.  Being a little slower doesn't make me less fit or less of an athlete.  It means I was a little slower for one event.  It happens for a variety of reasons, and it's not the end of the world. Why is it easier to write those words than believe them?  I think it's because of all the things I wasn't as a kid and am not now... all the things I listed above.  I am battling against an outdated image of myself then and an idealized image now. The thing is, it's not about looking like an athlete.  It's about being an athlete. -noun a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina or strength; a participant in a sport, exercise, or game requiring physical skill. I am an athlete.

Scaling the Strat - Part Deux

  

Last year, I climbed the Stratosphere and jumped off it - all in the same year!  This year, I'm doing it again... at least the climbing part.  Hopefully I'll be rappelling off of another Vegas casino later in the year.  Gotta change things up, right?!

I like workouts that I can incorporate easily into my daily routine, and doing stairs fits the bill perfectly.  I've been doing them for several years now, not quite since I began my lifestyle change in 2002, but for a long time.  They're great!  As long as you've got a building with one or more floors, you can run stairs before work or after, on breaks or on your lunch hour.  You can do one or two sets or a whole bunch of 'em, depending on your time constraints.  You can walk briskly; you can run; you can take them two-at-a-time.  Bottom line, stairs are a fully adaptable, customizable workout for any schedule or fitness level.  I'm hooked on them! 

So, last year, when I learned about Scale the Strat, a charity stair climb to benefit the American Lung Association, I had to participate.  This was the ultimate event for stair climbing enthusiasts like me!  This is no tiptoe-up-the-steps gig.  It's serious stuff: 1,455 stairs spanning 108 floors.  Yowsa!

I did it in 17 minutes last year, and crazily enough, I'm doing it AGAIN this year... today, in fact.  Nutty!! It's going to be grueling, but it will be totally worth it.  I'm raising money for a terrific cause, AND I'm challenging my physical limits.  Doesn't get much better than that... unless you add music.  iPods and MP3 players are banned on this climb.  Why?  No idea; it's a bummer.  Music is so motivating, and AC/DC's "It's a Long Way to the Top" is the ideal anthem for this kind of event!

Ah, well... the things we put ourselves through in the name of philanthropy and personal growth. :)