More Movies to Inspire and Distract

We had beautiful weather last weekend and got to ride outside in 60 degree sunshine.

This weekend we were not so lucky. It was snowing and 17 degrees today. Brrr. So, back to the basement Torture Chamber for us.

Saturday we did a 2 hour endurance ride and today we pushed the limits of my “trainer butt” by doing a 2.5 hour ride. The first 90 minutes weren’t bad, but I only managed to stay on the bike for the next 60 minutes because Phil was being a motivating influence.

Here are my mini-reviews of the last several movies we’ve watched while putting in the crucial, but mentally excruciating, base miles on the trainers.

Four Minutes - This was interesting and inspiring, too. It follows the attempts by Roger Bannister to break the 4 minute mile time record. As a trivia bonus, currently, the mile record is held by Hicham El Guerrouj, who set a time of 3 minutes 43.13 seconds in Rome in 1999.

Grizzly Man - Phil and I grew up in grizzly country, near Glacier National Park in Montana. So we thought this guy was a nut-ball from the get go. Nevertheless, the movie is riveting.

There Will Be Blood - If you have to do a 2.5 mile indoor ride, here is your movie. I wasn’t sure which I was happier to have end – the workout or the film. I know this got tons of awards, but I found it quite slow and if I hadn’t been trapped on my trainer I’m not sure I would have been able to sit through the whole darn 2.5 hour movie. Daniel Day Lewis is still a hottie, though . . .

The Sopranos - We don’t have any premium cable channels, so we are about 7 years behind the rest of America in discovering The Sopranos. Have I mentioned how cool NetFlix is? So, we are now working our way through Season 1. That Tony; he’s got problems!

Prefontaine - This is another inspiring film. Steve Prefontaine was one of the leaders of the running revolution in the early 70s. He may not have been a very nice guy, but he was a gifted athlete.

The Triplets of Belleville - This is another film that was a darling of the film critics. I found it entertaining, but a bit odd. There is no dialog, so it is perfect for the trainers – we never had to ask “What did she just say?”

Racing Against the Clock - This is a movie we actually watched last year. It tells the stories of five women between the ages of 50 and 82 who compete against each other, and ultimately themselves, in their quest to reach the World Masters Athletics Championships in Puerto Rico in June 2003. These women include a three-time cancer survivor, a sharecropper's daughter, a political refugee, a former cowgirl and the oldest athlete to ever be honored as a finalist for the Sullivan Award which celebrates the top amateur athletes in America. Pre-Title IX, these athletes grew up in an era when women did not participate in sports. With some not entering the realm of competition until well after retirement, there is no telling what they may have accomplished had things been different. Vibrant, inspiring and courageous, these women shatter preconceptions about aging and about the human spirit. I loved it.

Next post - I'll begin a discussion of training with power.