dirt whiff.

miles: 2.48

motivation is hard to find these days. perhaps there is a recession in that economy as well. i don't know how many perfect days i've wasted just loafing about when i very well could have, and in many cases, should have, gone for a ride or a run. yesterday was one such day. so was the day before... and the day before that.

it isn't until i'm on the road or trail that i realize how much fun it is and just how much i enjoy myself. now, i know it's fun and i'll feel better about myself if i get out of bed and tie on my shoes but that doesn't seem to be enough to actually get me to do it. i think that my mind and body have not made a true connection yet between the activity and the positives that come with it. until, and if, that happens i'll just fit it in when time and motivation align. i do enjoy the smell of dirt.

bike splints.

miles: 1.31

it's quite obvious that i've carried on a love/hate relationship with bikes for quite a while. love them: riding them with or without friends, looking at them, thinking about them, physical benefits, etc. hate them: being financially dependent on them. the later will certainly affect the former quite a bit. for the past few years i would go through periods of loving bikes [increased blogging] and hating bikes [decreased blogging] and obviously i have been in slump for more than a few months now. i've just burned out on them for a while... the thought of starting from scratch and having to build from the bottom again does not appeal to me. the sore ass for a few days after the first long ride. spending 20 minutes looking at the weather forecast trying to figure out of i should wear knickers or just knee warmers. not to mention, do i even have enough daylight to get a ride in? what seems to be the result of this slump? running.

ugh, i know, i know... running. it beats me up as much, if not more, than the next cyclist but at least i'm willing to do it. i, for the most part, do it because i need to for employment opportunities, but i have to say, i actually like to run. it causes me indescribable types of pain that would never happen on a bike but there's something about it that still appeals to me.

i'm not a fan of running on the road so i stick to the trails. many of the trails are the very same that i've been biking on for the past 15 years. i must say, when you're traveling at 6mph rather than 12-15mph, the trail looks completely different, new, even. no longer do you hear the slap of the chain on the chainstay, the grind of a mudded-up drive trail or the squeal of the breaks approaching an unfamiliar obstacle. as when riding my bike i prefer to run without an iPod... i feel like i'm missing out on something if i bring too much media into the woods. i want to hear the dirt, the leaves, the chipmunks and birds. i want to hear the woods.

often by the end of my appallingly short run my face has contorted into a grimace of pain and suffering but i still enjoyed myself for that 13 minutes and can't wait until my broken feet will allow me to run again. as i write this two of my bikes lean on each other next to me looking quite forgotten... don't worry you two, i'll be back at some point, and it will be like i never left.

night riding and the aimless.

miles: irrelevant.

i've been somewhat of a recluse for the past several weeks. i haven't done much other than work and nap... i haven't even ridden a bike in nearly a month. tonight, though, i went out for a night ride with a friend i hadn't seen in months and had a fantastic time. the temperature couldn't have been more perfect, the traffic was light, and the stars shone brightly... wait, no, that's venus.

it's funny how a late spring/summer evening will make everything seem just right in life... at least, at that moment. after my friend and i had parted ways and i continued riding on, i thought about what i'd write and the word that kept repeating itself was, "optimistic". at first it seemed appropriate but as i thought about it the more it became obvious it was not right. optimism exists in the future and the more i thought about it the less nights like this exist in any time frame, past or future... they're just now. as i rode down dark backroads with the occasional streetlight i looked at the stars, thought about photography, listened to the sound of tires on asphalt, and just generally enjoyed riding without intent or schedule. it truly was a stop-and-smell-the-roses moment.

during a remarkably uneventful period in my life, it's nice to take a break from routine and just enjoy shit.

it is what it is.

it has been quite the winter and spring for riding. i've out in more miles so far than i have in the past several years... time and weather being the reasons. it is definitively american to make a go of it and reach for that piece of the pie that everyone's talking about these days... but, there's something to be said for being able to enjoy the pie once you've gotten your hands on it. i certainly wasn't able to. i run in to old customers who say, "oh, i'm so sorry to see the shoppe's closed"... "i'm not", i'll inevitably reply. i made an honest effort to pursue a passion and it didn't pan out. day in and day out, bikes. i smelled of grease and tires at all times..."eau de pneu". the irony, of course, being that i never had the time to ride my own bike. i became intensely jealous and resentful of the people around me could ride all the time, let alone ride at all. but those days have passed. i put my time in and i've been rewarded with fantastic weather. i've taken advantage of it as much as anyone and i've been making up for lost time.

wintar.

65-ish miles.

late january. 50+ degrees. jersey, arm warmers, gilet and some embro... yeah, i'll take it.

new old trails.

51.4 miles

today was the first good long road ride of the year. it was just the right distance and no further. unfortunately the moment I walked in the door work called... apparently I was supposed to be there an hour before. oh well. I tore off my gear and tossed on some clothes. the shower will have to wait until later.

the day before was a delightful ride on some trails that i haven't been on in nearly 10 years. back then some developers started tearing up the trails and at that point it was just a terrible ride. recently, however, it has come to my attention that the trails are actually good again... and they are! someone has put a lot of effort in to buffing these trails and i have to say, super fast double and single track is a nice change from the standard rocks and roots in this area. i will enjoy these trails all over again.