So I haven't ridden hardly at all, due to unseasonably cold temperatures and far too much precipitation. The weather has finally come to be in our favor, with just over a month to train before Scott and I leave Eugene, OR. So far Scott and I have gotten up and on the road by 8 a.m. the past three mornings, and ridden at least 20 miles each day. Scott says he's in the worst shape he's been in since he got to Eugene, and I'm not doing too hot either.
The good news is this morning's ride was fairly easy at 25 miles and if I can continue to do this every morning it will be Stuart and Ryan that have to worry about keeping up, rather than me (which is more what I was expecting when picturing our trip). I feel sorry for the guys in Chicago having to ride through midwest suburbs and city streets. They don't know what they're missing. Every morning I get up and ride through evergreens and rolling hills, next to babbling creeks and rushing rivers, and all of it is covered in new growth and smells better than fresh laundry (which I think smells pretty damn good).
The trouble I find is in staying motivated to keep riding. Where in the case of our cross country trip we have a goal A to B, on training rides it's A to wherever to A again, and I can turn around anytime I want. It takes roughly two hours to go 30 miles, and I don't know how I'll stay interested enough to ride for, say, six hours when it's time to start doing 90 mile training rides. I'm thinking it might be a good idea to get one of those carrot on a string set-ups going, but with a donut or peanut butter cup attached.
I have the next two days off and am thinking about attempting a ride to the coast to camp. Just want to make sure I can make it back in time for work on the third day. Scott's doing the same thing later in the week when he's off work. I may wait to see how he does, then decide to attempt it later. I also heard about a nude beach nearby that I may bike to tomorrow if it's sunny. A bunch of old gay guys hang out there, so it's not the fun you may be thinking, but I just want to see what it feels like to be outdoors with no clothes. It's so rare that you get to be naked in public anymore.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Scott: Spring Training
So here we are on the eve of May, and Matt and I depart for Vancouver in a month and a half, picking up the rest of the fellows along our way. Because of weather, we've not been training the way we should, but tomorrow was going to be the day we turn over a new leaf. This brings me to the biggest mistake I've made in the last ten years. I would say "the biggest mistake I've made in the last twenty years," however, there was only one mistake that both surpassed and preceded this one. The tooth massacre of '92 which took place on a two person swing set at the Seale residence. I am still reminded of that one every night, as I place my two retainers over my sets of less than crooked upper and lower teeth, respectively. There were a plethora of minor infractions between the two mistakes, but these two stand out in my mind, for they are the only ones which have little aftershocks time and time again.
Anyway, back to this past decade. Foolishly, I didn't take care of my allergies when I had the support of my parents, and now I'm doomed to have at least a week of allergy induced sickness one to two times a year. This is the point I'm at now. It's the point I've been at every spring and fall since the beginning of high school. I'm bed ridden when it is most vital to be out riding in the world, and I fear any form of extensive activity will prolong this illness sending me into a coughing fit and preventing me from doing even more training. Smells are more pungent and food tastes a little worse. Nothing seems to help. I've tried putting bags over my head, standing on my hands, and working longer hours at work.
Since I am extraordinarily stubborn/lazy/cheap when it comes to taking medication, these are my only possibilities for now. I only hope this illness subsides within the next week, and I am able to start riding again. Don't ask me what I have, as I would never think of seeing a doctor.
Things are coming together nicely, but if we are out of shape when it is time to begin our journey, all of this other work will have been in vain.
This infection isn't all bad. I believe the excessive coughing has burned unwanted calories and strengthened my core. Nothing else really matters.
-Scott
Anyway, back to this past decade. Foolishly, I didn't take care of my allergies when I had the support of my parents, and now I'm doomed to have at least a week of allergy induced sickness one to two times a year. This is the point I'm at now. It's the point I've been at every spring and fall since the beginning of high school. I'm bed ridden when it is most vital to be out riding in the world, and I fear any form of extensive activity will prolong this illness sending me into a coughing fit and preventing me from doing even more training. Smells are more pungent and food tastes a little worse. Nothing seems to help. I've tried putting bags over my head, standing on my hands, and working longer hours at work.
Since I am extraordinarily stubborn/lazy/cheap when it comes to taking medication, these are my only possibilities for now. I only hope this illness subsides within the next week, and I am able to start riding again. Don't ask me what I have, as I would never think of seeing a doctor.
Things are coming together nicely, but if we are out of shape when it is time to begin our journey, all of this other work will have been in vain.
This infection isn't all bad. I believe the excessive coughing has burned unwanted calories and strengthened my core. Nothing else really matters.
-Scott
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