Keeping Up with Dave

I used to think I was pretty athletic. Of course, I never really thought about who was setting the bar for that conclusion. Was it my circle of friends (most of them smokers and drinkers)? Or was it my athletically-challenged family, all of its members apparently allergic to any sports involving (among other things) balls or running? All I knew is, when I started living alone in NYC, my favorite pastimes were skating in Central Park and dancing in clubs. I was fit and trim and never had to worry about staying in shape.

And then I met Dave.

Dave is my husband. He's just finished his first—and hopefully last—Ironman triathalon this past summer. When he ran his very first marathon a little over a year ago, he completed the course in less than three-and-a-half hours and placed third in his age group. He can play squash and tennis, left-handed or right-handed. When he plays basketball, he can go head-to-head with a co-worker of his, who used to play for Columbia University. He’s scored over 150 points bowling (and he never bowled until he met me). He can swim, bike, and run (obvious requirements for triathlons), and he can climb mountains (he’s done so twice). He’s also an excellent snowboarder.

About ten years ago, when Dave was still just my really cute boyfriend, he persuaded me to go snowboarding with him and his friends. Not a fan of cold weather, I viewed the entire trip with great skepticism. The closest I had ever come to winter sports was sledding in Prospect Park as a child. My memories of sledding were not fond ones. I knew in my heart that subjecting myself to this trip would require a HUGE leap of faith—in our relationship. But love (or lust) makes us sometimes incapable of doing the wise thing—staying home. So I took all my new snowboarding clothes, got in the car, and my really cute boyfriend drove us to Gore Mountain in the Adirondacks.

Our first morning on the mountain, I signed up for a lesson, rented a board and boots, and went to the lodge to eat some breakfast. Dave was really anxious to get a couple of runs in before the snow was packed down by the other snowboarders and skiers, so he went ahead while I was waiting on line for my rental equipment. While I was drinking my coffee in the lodge, I watched a pack of snowboarders tearing up the mountain, doing tricks and weaving around each other at top speed.