Today is my day off. I anguished over wanting to put a few miles on the bicycle, or kayaking. I thought, ever so briefly, that I might do both - but that would kind of be like going to two amusement parks in the same day. Ain't nobody got time for that. Given that I've put a lot less miles on my bicycle this season than I would've thought by now, I opted for the bicycle.
I never really know how long I'll ride - particularly if I'm not really under time constraints, which I f'kn love by the way. I just head out and ride until I feel like it's a good time to head back. It's almost always considerably longer than I thought I would ride. The last couple times I've been out, my tendency to be a bit overzealous on the first leg of my ride - and by that I mean ride way too far, pick a halfway point to stop, hydrate, eat a little snack, see a man about a horse and head back to my car and call it a day, has been surprisingly pleasant. Twice this week, the halfway stop initially kills me. When you're moving, at least air is flowing - even on the corridors of the trail where it's full on sun, flat, boring and the pace just heats you up. But something kind of magical happened these last two times - I had quite a bit more in my tank! I guess it's a combination of all the exercise... and the dietary changes that are taking even me by surprise.
I've said for years that I could never be a vegetarian - and trust me good people, no one is more picky about eating vegetables than I am. I've also said for years that our bodies will tell us how we should be eating - it's up to us to listen. I dunno, all I can say is that now I find myself walking through the produce section at Heinen's and getting hungry. That's never happened before. My juicing has taken on new wings after falling off a bit until this Spring. I dunno, I had a couple of things going on, woke up with my feet hitting the floor one Saturday morning and said, "F'k it! I'll take control of what I can do something about, act on it and f'k the rest of the shit that is outside of the circle of things I can do anything about" - I told myself I would return to juicing and hit it hard every week. And hit it hard I have. I've never felt better - but I still have a ways to go.
This week especially, I've been eating almost no meat - and craving vegetables. So much so, that if my mother is reading this, I hope she's sitting down. I rode 23 miles on Monday, and towards the end of my ride, all I could think about was eating a ton of sautéed broccoli with garlic, olive oil and lemon juice over angel hair pasta. I'd have knocked anyone who stood between me and that dish down. Mind you, I love chicken, a good steak now and again, a good hamburger (why is it called that when there's no ham in it??) and rack of lamb...
This morning when I decided that the bicycle won out, I ate a great breakfast of hash browns, half an avocado, one fried egg...over medium, some grape tomatoes drizzled w/EVO, Himalayan salt and balsamic vinegar - and the homemade green Sriracha style sauce from last week. But for the egg, vegetarian. Who is this dude?? As I headed out this morning, getting a later start than I'd hoped for - particularly in this kind of heat, I put together a snack of half an avocado that I cut and squeezed fresh lime juice over, hoping that it prevented it from turning brown (it did) some almonds, cashews, an apple and some blueberries. I filled two water bottles with a mixture of Smart Water, Coconut water and some lime juice and salt.
I stopped at around eight miles in to eat the avocado and a bit of the other stuff. Damn it felt good out there today, even in the heat. As I stood there eating, I couldn't stop thinking about how much I've been starting to crave vegetables these last few days. And then I did something totally out of character - even with my sudden love of vegetables: I stripped off all of my cycling attire - jersey, bibb shorts, socks, helmet, shades, shoes...and ran around for like a quarter mile in the woods!! Not really - just f'kn with you, seeing if you're paying attention.
I have to say that no matter what has concerned me lately, I am grateful for so much. Right before I stopped to eat, I passed a man walking from the opposite direction. It was painfully obvious this poor man was sick - yet somehow it was also obvious that despite his being sick, he wanted to be out there in that valley. Then on my way back in, I cam upon two cyclists - one normal, nothing out of the ordinary...and the other guy was riding some kind of recumbent bike. I run across people doing that all the time - and who knows why they choose to go that route, but my guess is that they have some kind(s) of health/back issues that prevent them from riding a regular bicycle. As I started to give a loud, "On your LEFT!" and pass these guys, I noticed that the man in the recumbent bike was pedaling...with his arms and hands. I have to say, observing both of these guys really put things into perspective. It's important to be out there, moving, doing something, being in the moment and taking care of your body - no matter what state it's in.
I always find it interesting to observe fellow cyclists when I'm out and about - even if I'm driving in my car, but particularly when I'm on the trails and the towpath. It's a bit like that old Hanna-Barberra cartoon - some kind of racing plot, with various and sundry competitors vying for the top spot in some cross-country race. Some of the contestants looked the part - sleek cars, get ups...and others looked like they simply didn't belong anywhere near any kind of competitive driving. That's how it is out there - some people look the part, some people don't. My guess is that I'm somewhere in the middle here - but it doesn't matter. When I started getting back into cycling, I briefly thought that I might want to compete in Cyclocross racing. For what?? I mean, seriously, having passed the 40 mile marker...and the 50 (!), do I really want to compete in some intense bicycle racing and potentially break something? For what?? A f'kn trophy? No thanks - besides, I've got enough stuff that I need to jettison the f'k out of this place.
It's the trail etiquette these last two days that has been a tad bit disturbing. Things like two or three people not riding single file, but spread out for the width of the entire trail and not one of 'em dropping back until the last possible moment. Seriously?? I'm fine with close calls, and I'm glad to see other people out there enjoying the valley on a bicycle any way they choose to. Don't want to wear a helmet? Don't. I do. Do I think it will save me from any kind of crash? Nope, but it has save me on at least two occasions, so I'm in. Don't want to wear cycling clothing? Don't. I do, but I'll be the first to admit that such attire only looks acceptable when you're on the bike. To me it's just more comfortable. What I'm not going to be okay with, is crashing and breaking something like, oh I dunno, a collarbone...or anything else, because of someone else's stupidity and lack of trail etiquette. As long as the calls are close and I get past it quickly, fine - I'm not freaking out about the 11 year old kid who yelled a polite, "My bad!" after barely getting out of the way in time. I'm over that too quickly and yards away - but I won't say that should something bad actually happen out there.
There's room for everyone out there, and I'm thankful to be alive and be able to do the things that I love - such as being surrounded by a late Summer sky in the Cuyahoga Valley. Peace good people - I hope your week is off to a great start.
CRO
