Is There Something Wrong With Me?

Just got back from a bike ride. Thought it was worth a little write up for the site - tie it into the training for the race stuff I am working on. Thought I'd share this rough draft with you all, if you care to read a little more about my life;

It seemed like a bad idea, then a good idea. So I went.

By the time I got ready and John showed up it was snowing pretty good. No accumulation, but the roads were wet and there were ominous skies creeping over Whetstone and Mount Emmons.

As usual, once we got south of Round Mountain the skies had broken and it was really nice. Dry roads and the gentle slope of highway 135 and a slight tailwind made for smooth sailing and easy talk.

We talked about strategies for conserving energy versus going hard when the body says to go hard and easing off when the body calls for that. We tried to consider the possibilities of getting miles in before the race and around familial duties. Would the wives needs conflict with ours? Will they want to take the time to prepare like we do? And what about all those work duties that are calling as well?

Passed my usual turn around spots because it was so nice and everything was feeling good. At the Roaring Judy Fish Hatchery we said goodbyes and I turned around as John headed down to Gunny to meet up with the missus and the boy for some pool time and errands. Last thing he said was "at least you'll have a tailwind." Um, what?

As always the slight uphill return and the tailwind that made the "out" so pleasant immediately went to work on driving my speed down and my workload up. I watched as the dark mass of clouds enveloped the north end of the valley. Dark and swirling clouds that were eager for my arrival. Just north of Round Mountain it started coming down. By CB South it was really coming down. I smiled at the beauty of the moisture evaporating from the still-warm roads in wisps of vapor. Then it started to come down harder and the wind picked up.

The last 3-4 miles is always the hardest. A long straight away, slightly uphill, in the open, middle valley, where wind seems to funnel full-steam down valley, directly at the fore. The snow was thick and wet at the front and the whipping stream of moisture from the road was a cold and steady stream on my ass. The glasses fogged, too much heat coming from my side and cold coming from the storming snow. It got real heavy between CB South and Hidden River Ranch (another stupid fucking name for an enclave of huge, empty homes), then it got lighter, but still snowing hard. The light foretold an easing of the snow, a hole in this weak front. But the roads were soaked and so was I, coated with a layer of snow from my head to waist, brown slush from the waist down up front. And the peppered spray of road grit running up my back.

My toes were cold and getting colder, but everything else seemed fine. I had part of a Spearhead song stuck in my head only I couldn't get the lyrics right so I kept repeating this muddled, super-annoying chorus over and over trying to make it right. I kept smiling at how funny the whole predicament was. I was slipping away from work, blew off a ski with the wife, and knew I was going to get bitch slapped by this storm, and here I was giggling to myself despite it all.

Is there something wrong with me?

twenny-ten

Too much to say without writing an epic novel without the epicness. Chugging along. Katie is busy with massage and running the household. Kai is also running the household, as far as he knows, and busy with daycare and taking care of his stuffed animals. Gus is mastering the language and learning how to go toe to toe with Kai. It is a sweet little family we have going here. Never a dull moment. In fact, I rather long for a dull moment.

I am still with Kaplan, still coaching some grommets, still trying to keep Crank Collective relevant, still trying to keep up with the things I am supposed to do around the homestead, and happy to be active and involved. Better than a year ago when I was active, but didn't feel real involved. Things feel better these days.

Meh. Uninspired to write. Maybe its like a fear that if I let loose a little a lot will want to come out and what I really want is a nice night of sleep. Kai likes to get up early and insist that I watch whatever it is he has planned before I can get the coffee going. He likes to show off his moves before 7 am and I prefer a 7:30 showtime. Gus likes to rally whenever the first person in the house is awake. He's pretty easy to please.

So it is with profound apologies that I depart from this post without having given you the few readers with anything worth getting excited about. Life is good. It is tiring and on occasion makes me sore, but it is good. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.