Is Your "Hard Core" Healthy?

1. Who doesn’t love a good road ride to raise your heart-rate? Yours gets up to:

65 percent of your max, but you push it higher on the hill-climb bursts.

99 percent of your max. You know it’s a good ride if you puke and then pass out.

35 percent of your max. You like to sing while you ride and if you push too hard you can’t hit the high notes.

2. You stayed up late last night to win a tequila-fueled dance-a-thon, on today’s agenda:

Carbo-loading and catching up on the last three seasons of Law and Order.

Sleeping in until 9 a.m., hydrating, and acasual hike before a healthy dinner.

An early wake-up-call for a technical all-day mountain-bike ride through the desert

3. Before a long run, I spend a few minutes:

Waiting for my iPod to turn on.

Sprinting

Stretching

4. Kayaking sounds like fun, but you’re boat-less. When a friend lends you hers, you:

Sign up for a lesson to learn some basics before taking it into whitewater.

Prop it up in the garage. It looks great beside those skis you’ve never used.

Put in on the biggest river you can find. So what that there’s a flash-flood warning?

5. Your shoulder’s been sore, but with your first triathlon approaching, you need to stay in shape for the swim by:

Buying a super-sized bottle of ibuprofen and pulling 100 laps per day. No pain, no gain.

Cross training. You can rest your out-of-whack arm but stay all-around strong.

Tanning. If you’re not fit, you can at least look the part of a seasoned swimmer.

6. Detox dieting means:

A few weeks of whole, organic foodsand lots of water.

Laying off the chips and Twinkies for a week.

Nothing but water, lemon and cayennefor 10 days.

7. You could use some new sticks before ski season hits full swing. What can you drop from the family budget?

Food, gas, utility bills, and Christmas gifts for the kids.

An occasional dinner out. You’ll save double by cooking and not shelling out to the sitter.

The gym membership and the running shoes you also need to replace.

8. A big work project was stressful, but now that it’s finished, you’re taking a few days to:

Organize your garage. It’s been so long since you’ve used your gear, it’s a mess.

Jump back into your marathon training plan. It’s no big deal to go from 5 to 20 miles, is it?

Overnight and hike in the nearest national park.

9. Surprise! School and work are cancelled. How will you spend a whole day with the kids?

Nothing changes, you’ll e-mail all morning and haul them screaming on your 5-mile run.

Did somebody say movie marathon? You’ll fuel it with a homemade batch of brownies.

Pack everyone up for a hike. It’s just 2 miles to the fam’s favorite lakeside picnic spot.

10. Prepping for this weekend’s family camping trip took a backseat to work, but you managed to organize:

Campground reservations, sleeping bags, the first-aid kit, and s’mores for everyone.

Your desk and file cabinet, a permit to tag a big summit, and moleskin for the kids.

A couple of makeshift shelters and a pizza delivery to campsite “Backyard Bliss.”