Saturday Ride. 2/6/10

The other day, I got in a ride; the first in a while as it has been raining and other things have been overriding riding.

It was terrible.
I was so flat, so weak, so tired. So what?

It was beautiful after the morning rains and fairly cool. There were lots of huge, puffy clouds idly boasting about raining more but not really committed. I could have used another layer descending and was a bit cold, taking no chances on the wet roads with debris from the recent heavy rains. I do not enjoy my lack of fitness, but I really enjoy not having to push myself out the door every morning for pre-dawn training as I did when I raced. I loved racing, road and especially triathlons, but for twenty years I ground myself, pushing my limits, doing all that I could. Back then, racing was everything to me. I knew that the miles would cost me later in life and that someday, my racing would end. Now that I have had more than a decade to see how no longer racing feels, I feel great. I better appreciate my racing experiences and accomplishments than previously and I have been able to rehabilitate an overuse injury to one knee. In the last couple years, my riding for fun has gotten much better in that I can again ride fairly well for several hours without pain. I don’t climb hard any more, but I downhill better than ever.

Last summer, I returned to a 60 mile loop that I have not done in 30 years. That was great. Some of the most enjoyable cycling ever. Psyched about riding more than ever, I planned for another great season once the weather clears. My friend John invited me to join his Team Glory Days to ride the 100 mile LIVESTRONG Challenge San Jose in July and I jumped at it. It has been 20 years and 20 pounds since I rode a century, but I am confident that I will be able to prepare well and complete the ride this summer.

Please have a look at my fundraising page:
http://sanjose2010.livestrong.org/sean_ireland

Besides ride updates, thoughts and musings, I will also post writings, travels, and hopefully interesting reading.
Thanks for reading.
I welcome your thoughts and comments.

Sean