Fell on Bad Days

Wednesday.  I'm up early enough to get some riding in before work.  Raining.  Forecast says it will end by 8:00AM.  It doesn't.  Back in the house, fold laundry, unload the dishwasher, head back out the door in the rain at 8:30AM.  Never dawned on me to put on my fender.  Oh well, only calling for some more light rain around 1:00PM and no more.

Off and on rain all day, no fender, butt going from soaked to just moist throughout the day.  Go out to the furthest point I deliver to some thirty-five blocks away when the rain picks up, ride back into town via the greenway only to get another run back out to the same place.  This time, the greenway is flooded.  I start to ride under the bridge at Morehead Street, realize I can't ratchet the cranks on the Fastest Bike in the World until it's too late.  Stop about a third of the way in.  Wade back out of the underpass through the nasty storm runoff. 

Last minute run to the courthouse in a steady rain assures me that I will ride home with a nice swamp-ass.

Sours the mood a bit.

The Pie texts me.  She's headed out to pick up puppy milk.

"Need anything?"

My resolve to not drink beer for four or five days crumbles less than seventy hours into it.  Come home, grab a can and a coozie, head downstairs to disrobe and down-gear.  Take off the shoes that normally smell like a thousand dead corpses to find out they now smell like a thousand and one. 

Pretty sure I was in a semi-dismal mood before the day even started.  Not entirely sure why.  The finish line is in sight.  Less than a month to go before the races that require actual fitness are behind me.  Then there will be no early miles, much more sleep, fewer things and agendas.

The goal is to hang onto the shreds of fitness I have remaining which are actually the shreds of shreds at this point.  Just enough gas in the tank so I don't suffer unnecessarily.  Have fun... you know.

Think I might be slightly bummed about not doing the Pisgah Stage Race.  I almost signed up multiple times.  Had I known so many people whose company I like to keep were gonna be there... the scales mighta tipped.  I'm holding onto my remaining 5.8 days of vacation like a greedy time miser.  The Pie and I were pondering a Sedona vacation next Spring Break, but a recent realization that even with US Airways $99 buddy passes, it's still close to a $2,000 trip... maybe more.  We might be too practical minded to toss that kinda money on one trip.  Those days I'm saving might not have needed to be held so tightly.

I'm happier today.  Over the hump.  Clearing skies.  Drying trails.  Can't wait to ride dirt soon.

But for now, beer is my fender.