We finished up on Saturday, thinking that maybe we would paint it before the end of the weekend. Cooler heads prevailed, as we had pretty much neglected everything else around the house and we enjoyed the Shaq "au naturel" for awhile. Perhaps the activity for the nation's birthday weekend will be the application of color.
Great ride on Saturday, though I ran out of gas on the false flat out on Esworthy and lost the pack. No matter, as about 8 of us headed back after Bretton Woods (the rest went on to Poolesville) and I got back into tempo. Sometimes the mind just plays tricks, especially on that section of road. Can't seem to dig deep on some days.
Saturday night: Date night. QHT in Silver Spring to see the Jelly Roll Mortals and J.P. McDermott and Western Bop over some Belgian brews and hot wings with friends from college...While I never listened much to this style of music I realized that it is the distinct underpinning of the best American band ever, which cloaks its roots with speed and discordant harmonies and achingly good stuff...
Sunday I joined the BP ride late and then went out to Reston to see Ray and James mix it up with the 4's, and Harry hang in for a good while with the Pros and 1's 2's & 3's.
Having not raced since CX in December, it seemed quite fast and I was content to support the boys and be the token soigneur, handing up a cold one (water, not beer) to Ray as he cooled down. At one point in the race it looked like Ray was losing contact with the main field behind a couple of gapped riders--I yelled "Dig deep Ray!" and he blasted around them, reconnected, and then proceeded to attack twice in the waning laps to make things more exciting.
I was thinking about the effort it takes to do that, and the willpower too, as my mind dances with the argument of sticking it out or sitting up when I'm in that situation. It reminds me of an interview with some Olympic swimmer some time ago, where she willed herself to work through the pain because "I can rest later". When I find myself on the rivet, and this discussion in my head begins, I choose NOT to procrastinate.
That's why I'm usually one of the guys getting gapped...
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1 comment:
First: thanks for the "beer" at the end of the race. Much appreciated.
Felt a lot better at Reston than I did at TdW. Although, I'm still not in the shape I was before the crash.
Funny observation, but what you probably might not have seen, was that I was using the guy in front of me for as long as I could, at least until the moment he looked like he was fading and I had to make the big jump around him to bridge back up to the pack. I think I had to do that at least three times in the race but none of them really killed me. What killed me was my second attack, and when the rain started I thought I might be able to stay away.
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