When you think of tenacious, brave, die-hard animals, you need to be thinking of the honey badger. This girl is tireless. She catches most of her prey by digging, and in a 24-hour period, she'll travel 25 miles sporting her signature jog-trot, digging up to 50 holes at a time. And this chick is tough; you don't want her eyes set on you. A general carnivore, Mellivora capensis fuels up on anything she can clinch her claws around: scorpions, lizards, rodents, birds, but then also extremely poisonous snakes like the adder, cobra and black mamba. She relentlessly follows her prey till it's exhausted and can flee no more. She even takes down adolescent jackals, foxes and wildcats. Predators such as the lion and leopard will make a meal of her when they can, but they must be super hungry if they've decided to go after a honey badger, because she'll give them a ferocious battle and can sometimes save herself from these stronger competitors. She gets her name for her love of bee brood (larvae). Another example of her bravery, she'll face the fury of the hive to gobble these goodies. With Miss Honey Badger--there's no doubt, no fear, no giving up. No wonder she's considered the most fearless animal on the planet. With this animal athlete, it's always on!So was I a honey badger this past Saturday when I participated in the Lone Star olympic distance triathlon in Galveston? Well, I definitely wasn't tireless.
After this weekend, I was supposed to finally be able to say that I've done a triathlon. I've always turned my nose up at them, quickly concluding that I'm only interested in marathons. Well, that interest has been a struggle for me lately, and my solution was to shake things up and try out a tri. Unfortunately, though, Mother Nature wasn't cooperating; it was a windy morning--too windy for the buoys which wouldn't stay in position, so the swim was cancelled. So instead, I can now say I've done a duathlon. Disappointing, for sure, but it's just as well, because whoa--I was not prepared. I had only gone on three bike rides, with just one of them being a brick. Whatever! So silly. But I felt great on the 24.8 mile ride. It was fun. But the moment I stopped the bike to dismount, that confidence and fun evaporated. Major leg cramps--my calves, my thighs, even my groin. And my 10K run felt like the last 6.2 miles of the marathon. I was running cradling a medicine ball. I definitely PR'd for walk breaks in a 10K. I knew going into this that it was going to be humbling for me, but geez--did it have to be so much so when I didn't even swim? A humble pie smashed in my face!
So, no--I wasn't Miss Honey Badger with her amazing athleticism and her inspiring, tenacious heart. But I did step out of my comfort zone, and I did cross the finish line. So there's a little bravery and die-hardness in me, right?
Click here to check out an awesome honey badger video!
After this weekend, I was supposed to finally be able to say that I've done a triathlon. I've always turned my nose up at them, quickly concluding that I'm only interested in marathons. Well, that interest has been a struggle for me lately, and my solution was to shake things up and try out a tri. Unfortunately, though, Mother Nature wasn't cooperating; it was a windy morning--too windy for the buoys which wouldn't stay in position, so the swim was cancelled. So instead, I can now say I've done a duathlon. Disappointing, for sure, but it's just as well, because whoa--I was not prepared. I had only gone on three bike rides, with just one of them being a brick. Whatever! So silly. But I felt great on the 24.8 mile ride. It was fun. But the moment I stopped the bike to dismount, that confidence and fun evaporated. Major leg cramps--my calves, my thighs, even my groin. And my 10K run felt like the last 6.2 miles of the marathon. I was running cradling a medicine ball. I definitely PR'd for walk breaks in a 10K. I knew going into this that it was going to be humbling for me, but geez--did it have to be so much so when I didn't even swim? A humble pie smashed in my face!
So, no--I wasn't Miss Honey Badger with her amazing athleticism and her inspiring, tenacious heart. But I did step out of my comfort zone, and I did cross the finish line. So there's a little bravery and die-hardness in me, right?
Click here to check out an awesome honey badger video!
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