It's been awesome to have some gorgeous days, manageable work from home, and a bike that's ready to go! It's also been windy as hell, which makes things a bit trudgy, but the sun usually makes up for it.
Put in another ride out to Tiburon, but tried a slightly shorter way that ends up cutting out some painful windy spots and only cuts about 4 miles out of the total ride. Was a bit easier to cruise without the extra wind-smacked expenditure, and I feel lucky to have that ride be some easily accessible bread and butter. Came up with some great inspirational phrases for this year, like "revel in the elation of crushing it." Right? Right...?
Then I got a bit uppity and decided that since I was back on the bike a bit, I might as well try Mt. Tam again. Headed out, it was windy but hot. As I kept going, it alternated cool and hot, each time I'd wonder if it would get uncomfortably so, but it did not. Had a nice little speed-check with a dude in some fancy clothes, passed him, he passed back, then eventually I got ahead and we crushed it for a while. Eventually, he went towards Tiburon and I went towards Tam, we exchanged some niceties. Energy expenditure here may have taken a toll later, as Mt. Tam ABSOLUTELY CRUSHED ME. Shit. I got owned. I made it to the top of east peak, which was great, but those last bits were slow and painful. My legs wanted to stop, and I had to keep asking myself "why can't you keep going?" They'd try to stop again. "Seriously, there's no good reason why you can't keep on. Why can't you keep going?" Eventually, I made it, and the descent was mostly worth it. Not quite as worth it as I'd told myself on the way up, but it was pretty good to bomb all the way down. Some nice long sweepers at 35- that's the good stuff. If only I'd been a little less tired, I might have enjoyed it more, but then I wouldn't have had it at all. That's how it goes, right?
I'll put some pictures up at a different time.
