This and That

No, this isn’t me, not even close. However I did do some more “training” last night. I say “training” because again, I’m not counting mileage or using a heart rate monitor. I’m just maintaining my fitness and brushing up on my technical skills. Anyway, I brought Goose with me to work yesterday, and I was ready for some post-workday riding. After work rides these days have usually been reserved for roadie action. Well, it wasn’t a usual day. With the Tree Shaker approaching with a quickness, I had to get in some night riding.

I arrived at North Mecklenburg Park at around 5:45, and prepared to ride. North Meck, as we call it for short, is a fun little 3.5 mile trail in Huntersville, NC, just a little north of Charlotte. It’s not an overly difficult trail, but slightly challenging, especially at night. I haven’t ridden in the dark in a long time, so it would be a good place to reintroduce myself to riding with lights on a trail. I did a few laps before dark, and before you know it, it was time to turn on the lights. I tried to control my speed and use caution, but I was pumped up from the cool fall air. I rode a little faster than I should have, but there were no crashes. I did have a few minor mishaps, mostly from clipping trees with my shoulders because I couldn’t judge the shadows very well. The course for the Tree Shaker is way more difficult, so I will need to be on my toes. I did gain a lot of confidence from my ride last night, so now I’m not really concerned about racing a lap or two in the dark. I hope my teammates will be okay. I don’t think either one of them has been able to get out at night yet, so the race will be a trial by fire, so to speak. We should all be fine, especially since we will be pretty worn out by the time the night laps come around. Great fun is in our future, along with plenty of suffering.

Speaking of suffering, there hasn’t been much team news to report. We are officially signed up to do this race, so there is no turning back now. We should have all of our needed supplies ready for Saturday morning, so no worries there. I toyed with the thought of making some kind of signage for our tent, but I don’t want to invest any money, and I really don’t have the time. I even thought about some kind of logo to use. Lunchbox found something for me, and I considered using it. We will need to be tough and almost superhuman, since this is the first time any of us has attempted a race of this magnitude. When it’s all over, we will probably need to be carried out of there. Here is a possible logo for Team Suffering.



Lunchbox can find stuff on the internets too.

Yesterday you were all introduced to Beans, our newest family member. I am happy to report that she is still happy, and we are all happy about her being happy. That just makes everyone happy. Aren’t you happy? Beans thanks you for being happy for her happiness. See you tomorrow for another installment of crap and nonsense (and happiness.)

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