Shut Down By The Tilt-A-Whirl

This morning I did a 15 mile bike/4.35 mile run brick workout. I figured I could use one being that it's been awhile since I've done one and I have a race next week. Anyway it went really well. The winds where favorable for the bike, so I managed a faster than usual ride which felt great. I actually got a partial "group ride" in like I was saying I should do a couple days ago - Some guy dropped in behind me and drafted for about 4 miles on the Pacific Coast Highway. By the way, are you supposed to ask before you start drafting on a total stranger? Not that I cared - I'm used to have riders blowing by me. To have someone on my tail, regardless of what HIS reason was, was quite empowering.

The funny thing for me about doing a run off the bike is that I always start the run thinking I'm going slower than I actually am. It must be because when I'm on the bike my spinning cadence is between 80 and 90 rpm, and since I doubt I run at 80-90 paces per minute, my brain isn't used to the slower movement and thus compels my legs to speed back up. Or something like that. My heart has no such problem at keeping track of things, however. So within about a mile I had settled back down to a good pace.

Anyway, it was a pretty great workout. It was one of those sessions where you are reminded that training can be both fun and rewarding. The day's stats can be found here.

So after lunch I was feeling good. Ian and I headed over to the mall where that had a little carnival in the parking lot. Ian, who is 4, loves rides. I'd say his age-relative-to-guts ratio skews high, and so he has no problem with some of the more intense rides.

I'm not talking the double loop coaster of death or the giant log ride at Knott's Berry Farm that I swear if the first drop angle isn't 90 degrees, it's certainly no less than 89.5 degrees. Rather, I'm talking mini-coasters, the ship swing, things like that. I think by now he's been on everything at Disney Land except maybe Space Mountain, and loved every one of them.

So we hit the tilt-w-whirl, which was a new one for him. He had absolutely no fear about it at all. And I've never minded rides, plus I had a kick a** training day, and thus was feeling kick-**s myself. This was going to be routine.

I was wrong. Between the tilting and whirling I somehow got nauseous for the first time ever on a carnival ride. I looked over at him and he was laughing and having a great time. He looked back at me, saw my distress, stopped laughing and asked me if I was OK (as earnest as he could, I might add, considering he is 4 and we where being subjected to what felt like 6 g's). I assured him I was and he went back to his laughing for the rest of the ride, which seemed to take another hour.

I'm bummed that I wimped the ride, but I'm kind of impressed that Ian noticed my distress and asked about it. He gets older and more mature every day.

That said, he had a "fall on the ground and kick and flail as if possessed" fit 15 minutes later when I refused him cotton candy.

We then tried the Magic Dragon kiddie ride. This one spins, albeit at a much lower speed. I felt nauseous again, though I think this may have been partly mental. I then let Ian go solo through the mini fun house 4 times until we where out of tickets.

The picture below was taken just before we pulled out of the lot to go home. I'm not pale anymore at least. For Ian, it's business as usual.


I guess I am going to have to cross astronaut of my list of potential mid career changes, though my lack of military service and advanced science degrees may have already ruled that one out even before I was shut down by the tilt-a-whirl.

I guess I can always ride the Snoopy bus.