play time

Today I did my last super long ride for CDA. My body is tired and definitly feeling ready to taper ... and I'm more excited for this race than I think I have been for any race in recent time ... but part of me is a little sad that that phase of the training is over ....

I feel like ... just in the last month ... I've learned to ride a bike. I know you're thinking ... "Ummm .... isn't this your FOURTH Ironman attempt?? What do you mean you just learned to ride a bike?". Maybe I should say ... I feel like I've just learned to really and truly enjoy riding my bike? And with that enjoyment comes speed, which has been a nice little bonus, but thats not even what this was about.

I used to dread my long rides. They were boring and painful and ... well... long. It might have something to do with the fact that the weather has been great (ok, windy) for riding and maybe that I'm STILL injury-free ... I don't know ... more than anything, I think its a mindset.

I think this all started when I watched Collegiate Roadie Nationals a couple weeks ago .... and realized how much of a chicken I am. I've been actively working on letting go of the fear ... I don't think I ever realized how much the fear took away from the fun that is heading out for a day on the open road. I'm still a bit of a chicken, but that has sort of taken a backseat to the pure joy that is flying down the pavement, past beautiful rolling pastures and wheatfields, on a gorgeous early summer day.

Even the wind, the dreaded wind this state is famous for, hasn't seemed as bad lately. Sure it was blowing at 16+ mph (actually, on the low end of average for us this time of year! and admittedly, it had died down somewhat when it was time to head back into it), as always, on my ride today, but it seemed somehow different. Less fierce. More like the annoying little brother that is ALWAYS there, whether you like it or not, that you somehow learn to love.

Today we rode 80 miles. I would have liked to have gone a little farther but I was having stomach problems completely unrelated to the ride. I know I'm sitting well for CDA tho because at 80 miles, I very seriously considered riding out to the lake which is 15 miles away .... would have given us a total of 110 ... and that didn't scare me in the least.

More importantly, we saw a coyote. He was running towards the road and about to cross RIGHT in front of us... when he was five feet away he saw us, turned on a dime, and took off across the field. On three seperate occaisions we saw painted box turtles trying to cross the road, and on all three occaisions we stopped and nudged them along, making sure they didn't become roadkill. We saw these crazy birds with REALLY long tails sitting on a barbed wire fence on a deserted country road. We saw a pack of dogs, RIGHT next to us, who only looked up and wagged their tales as we rode by.

I'm so ready to taper ... so ready to race ... but I will miss these moments. I hope my newfound comfort and enjoyment of cycling will carry over to next year .... for now, this being over is just a little bittersweet ...