Plans Postponed

Saturday was supposed to be my next hundy ride. It didn't happen because I could not sleep at all Friday evening. Not sure why, but I am blaming what we had for my son's 17th birthday celebration- such as it was. 

Socially, my son's life sucks due to what is going on. There aren't many kids his age getting together around here for any reason, and as a result, as a parent, I feel bad about the situation. So, as a way to give him something to have a part in, he got to pick what we had for the evening meal on his birthday. He chose Popeye's chicken, because he really likes their stuff. Okay, chicken. Not a big deal, right?

Well, lately, and by "lately" I mean within the last five or six years, I have developed a bad reaction to any fast food's offerings. It started off a long time ago with Burger King's french fries, and now I just cannot have anything fast food. It makes my body swell up, my joints ache, my muscles feel like I got tackled by a linebacker, and I cannot sleep. I should have said, "Hey- you guys go ahead, I'll cook my own food.", but that would seem kinda bad on the son's birthday, so........

I was basically up all night into Saturday, it was supposed to be really humid, and hot, of course, and I was in no position to tackle 100 miles of gravel in the state I was in. In fact, I didn't feel quite "right" until later in the day. So, no- I did not nap. Which meant I slept like a log Saturday evening and on Sunday I felt tapped out. Just worn down from being so off kilter, food-wise. So, from here on out- no more fast food. 

I managed a casual ride Saturday morning. Not what I had intended.

It was hard to take because I was ready on every other level. I had a route, with cues "good enough" for me to follow. I had the Black Mountain Cycles pink MCD all ready to go. I had excitement for a new-to-me set of roads in an area I hadn't been in the country in for over a decade. I was super-bummed out.

But, in the end it maybe wasn't such a bad ride to miss on that kind of day. It was simply brutal out Saturday afternoon. The kind of day I often get beat by. I've had to cut short Guitar Ted Death Rides, Gravel Worlds rides, and Odin's Revenge rides because of weather like that. And really- I don't have anything I need to prove to anyone else or myself. It wouldn't have been prudent to try that kind of a ride on that kind of a day even had I gotten the best night's sleep ever.

So, I postponed the ride to another, more favorable weekend when I hope that the weather will be not quite so dangerous for me. No need to get out in such extreme conditions if I really don't have to. The route is set, I have what I need ready to go, and time is on my side.

Besides, this isn't like an event which has to happen on a certain day, right? That's when the weather is whatever the weather is. That's when you shrug your shoulders, say, "Well, here we go again!", and you clip in and shove off. But there is no such situation at hand in terms of this challenge I have set up. There is no set "date" to do this. It's refreshing, in a way, to have that liberty.

But I was a tad bit sad because this past weekend was the 'traditional' weekend for the Guitar Ted Death Ride invitational, and boy! Did the weather ever cooperate! If this had been a 'normal' year, I would have been torched out there Saturday. So, it was a blessing in disguise that things are the way that they are. And- the GTDRI used to happen in August years ago. That was before I started going to Gravel Worlds all the time. Anyway..... Later on in August, maybe, I'll get that century done. No hurry.

I ended up doing some casual ride Saturday morning, and while doing so, I found another excellent in-town testing area for Riding Gravel stuff. I also got my Lab organized a bit, I filed away some odds and ends, and I re-upped the Garage Sale Page with new stuff. Have a look and see if anything trips your trigger there.

I'll get around to this century thing later. Stay tuned.......