it was tough

this morning waking up looking at the temp starting at 40°F at 6am and rising to 44°F by 7 to then have to get in the car and drive in. No rain down here this AM. Heck they are saying we might not have much at all. But none-the-less it was a bike free day. My legs were a tad tired on the way home, but no soreness. I know I could have gone harder on the first set of hills but South court, bowen, and Star-Jenkes and Doyle pushed me farther than my lungs and legs wanted to go... having Brent dancing on his 34-twenty something gearing up ahead was great motivation. It is just odd to not have some soreness post interval work. Come to think of it other than just fatigue I haven't felt much bike related pain or that silly doms stuff much. Maybe that's how real cyclists feel all the time? Or i'm just still working on tuning all the various parts of the engine and I've managed to set a physical limitation that isn't related to muscles. I'll tell ya this breathing hard enough to turn my lungs inside out, and seemingly at a hyperventilation point without even coming close to feeling that hypervent-dizziness, was sort of cool, in a wow, that's weird, kind of way.

The one thing I've learned watching my wife ramp up and prepare for her 1/2 marathon in May is that she's a natural athlete and I'm not. She know sort of intuitively from all her HS and Collegiate days exactly what to do. Chopping big chunks of time off her 6-7 mile time, and being able to just go out and do 13 miles and push through the last 4 w/o stopping. There was something on TV where non-athletes were doing a 1/2 marathon, and she made a comment about some of them not being able to finish or having real trouble, very nonchalantly she pointed to her head, and said - it is all mental. You have to be able to turn it all off. To me that sounds like that smooth ball in Tim Krabbe's mind when he's racing compared to the spiky ball knocking thoughts around when he playing chess.

I may ramble ponder wonder worry here - but mostly i get it out of my head hear - much better to purge the brain instead of spend the whole time thinking and wondering when riding.

So this has been sitting here all freaking day... just got an email from a New England transplant to Topanga Canyon area of Cali show off a cool hill climb the LA Wheelmen put on. And in that email was a link to a video of said former BRC Junior doing the hill climb. My question is, where did he learn to climb like that? All switchbacky and stuff. We sure as hell didn't climb Fire Road or Pig hill by zig zaggin up it. Are the grades just so mellow and soothing out there that they've forgotten how to climb just straight up?

Yeah i know, 32% is pretty freaking steep... i'd probably be zigging and zaggin up that damn thing too.

Heading over to the Rush Hour concert series tonight. My little sister is a sub in the 1st fiddles. Should be a pretty cool concert. Selected movements from Bruckner's 4th. The girls are headed to a party at PPAC, to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the original Knight Industries KITT.

Time to split

heddwch
G

oh and happy birthday murat