Virtuous Circles
Thanks to the near constant exertion and conveniently diminished appetite, I shed a handful of pounds at Burning Man again this year. I feel lighter and more fit than I have in years, and I aim to not just keep those gains but to improve on them.
This morning I went trail running (& walking) in Golden Gate Park with firesarah -- it was everything I hoped it would be and more. Running on dirt trails is just so much better for my body, and psychologically it's much easier for me to run. I came back from the run feeling so good that I ultimately decided to "work from home" for the rest of the day. It was the perfect day to do it, too. Not only was it beautiful out, but my boss was also "working from home," and I happen to know that he was actually at a free golf event hosted by one of our suppliers at work. Which gave me the idea to try and get in a round of golf myself.
I played golf as a kid a bit at my grandfather's urging, and I thought maybe I'd like to pick up the hobby again. But I don't have any clubs, and golf can be an outrageously expensive hobby. But what about frisbee golf? I suddenly remembered that I'd always wanted to try it. I even bought a golf disc back in college at UCSC, but somehow never ended up actually playing the game. (I wonder where that disc is now? I probably sold it or lost it, but it *might* still be in storage...) Today seemed like a good day to start.
A friend and fellow-Fandangan helped fight the good fight and get a permanent disc golf course established in Golden Gate Park that (I think) just opened officially in March of this year. So I stopped by Golden Gate Park Skate and Bike on Fulton and bought a cool looking disc for $20, then went to find the course.
There were a lot more people playing than I'd expected -- at least on nice Friday afternoons, it's already an extremely popular course. While waiting for the first tee to open up, I decided it was probably a good idea to throw the disc around in the neighboring meadow for a while first. And that's how I proceeded to lose my brand new $20 disc in the deep rough on my 3rd practice throw. It took me a good 1/2 hour (or so it seemed) to find it, all the while thinking it could very well be lost for good. It took a great deal of patience not to let the immediate setback get to me -- the sport showed such promise, it would have really sucked to have my first attempt at playing marred so badly before I even started. But finally I spotted a gorgeous glint of orange, and the game was back on. I threw a dozen or so more practice tosses, more carefully this time, and then teed up for the first hole.
Anyway, I had the best time ever, and it was great exercise. Tramping over hill and dale throwing a fairly heavy disc was a workout for sure, and it was addictively fun and challenging. Since I was playing solo, I was more or less constantly moving, often playing through past other groups of 2 or 3 players. I could see playing a "flash round" in the mornings before or after a run; trying for points, accuracy and speed. I kept score, of course, and I was pretty consistently double par on most holes. But that just means there's lots of room for improvement and self-competition.
Ladies and gentlemen, I believe I've found a new hobby that's inexpensive (practically free compared to regular golf -- no greens fees and discs are way cheaper than clubs...though easier to lose), good exercise, convenient, challenging and fun. If anyone ever wants to come along and give it a try, just let me know. Hopefully, the more I play, the more I'll be motivated to run either before or after a round, making me more fit and able to play disc golf more often... And this, my friends, is how virtuous circles get started.
This morning I went trail running (& walking) in Golden Gate Park with firesarah -- it was everything I hoped it would be and more. Running on dirt trails is just so much better for my body, and psychologically it's much easier for me to run. I came back from the run feeling so good that I ultimately decided to "work from home" for the rest of the day. It was the perfect day to do it, too. Not only was it beautiful out, but my boss was also "working from home," and I happen to know that he was actually at a free golf event hosted by one of our suppliers at work. Which gave me the idea to try and get in a round of golf myself.
I played golf as a kid a bit at my grandfather's urging, and I thought maybe I'd like to pick up the hobby again. But I don't have any clubs, and golf can be an outrageously expensive hobby. But what about frisbee golf? I suddenly remembered that I'd always wanted to try it. I even bought a golf disc back in college at UCSC, but somehow never ended up actually playing the game. (I wonder where that disc is now? I probably sold it or lost it, but it *might* still be in storage...) Today seemed like a good day to start.
A friend and fellow-Fandangan helped fight the good fight and get a permanent disc golf course established in Golden Gate Park that (I think) just opened officially in March of this year. So I stopped by Golden Gate Park Skate and Bike on Fulton and bought a cool looking disc for $20, then went to find the course.
There were a lot more people playing than I'd expected -- at least on nice Friday afternoons, it's already an extremely popular course. While waiting for the first tee to open up, I decided it was probably a good idea to throw the disc around in the neighboring meadow for a while first. And that's how I proceeded to lose my brand new $20 disc in the deep rough on my 3rd practice throw. It took me a good 1/2 hour (or so it seemed) to find it, all the while thinking it could very well be lost for good. It took a great deal of patience not to let the immediate setback get to me -- the sport showed such promise, it would have really sucked to have my first attempt at playing marred so badly before I even started. But finally I spotted a gorgeous glint of orange, and the game was back on. I threw a dozen or so more practice tosses, more carefully this time, and then teed up for the first hole.
Anyway, I had the best time ever, and it was great exercise. Tramping over hill and dale throwing a fairly heavy disc was a workout for sure, and it was addictively fun and challenging. Since I was playing solo, I was more or less constantly moving, often playing through past other groups of 2 or 3 players. I could see playing a "flash round" in the mornings before or after a run; trying for points, accuracy and speed. I kept score, of course, and I was pretty consistently double par on most holes. But that just means there's lots of room for improvement and self-competition.
Ladies and gentlemen, I believe I've found a new hobby that's inexpensive (practically free compared to regular golf -- no greens fees and discs are way cheaper than clubs...though easier to lose), good exercise, convenient, challenging and fun. If anyone ever wants to come along and give it a try, just let me know. Hopefully, the more I play, the more I'll be motivated to run either before or after a round, making me more fit and able to play disc golf more often... And this, my friends, is how virtuous circles get started.