Where Does Time Go?

I don't mean to get philosophical, but time is complex. Think about this time and that time, and time to come. Time on a speeding train. Time capsules.

And all the time I waste on the weekends.

It's a strange phenomenon. Time speeds up on the weekends. It slows down to a halt when I'm having a bad day. And since it's easy to talk about time in terms of speed, someone needs to invent a time brake and a time gas pedal.

Then again, what would I do with my manipulated weekend time? This weekend, I had to nurse a hangover and avoid my neighbor (long story). I didn't have the energy to take Oscar to the dog park. So is my real problem time management, or an energy deficiency? That said, I probably don't deserve a time manipulation device. I like to think I'd use it to get more writing done, and to accomplish very important tasks, but let's face it--I'd just take more naps.

Doin' the 78-mile Shuffle


The time has come to recap my biking adventure of August 4th, 2007.



There were three goal levels for this event, chosen in hopes of completing at least one of them:



Primary: to finish

Secondary: to avoid injury

Tertiary: to not die



Goals accomplished: all



I had not been very positive about the event leading up to it. I was envisioning a rather large trailer hauled by a black-smoke chucking tractor piled high with dead bodies and mangled bikes, with my poor bones draped right on top. However, the day before the race I read some advice in a biking magazine (I guess they are good for something). The advice said to be positive. How generic, yet so true. I decided no harm in trying. This trick came in handy for the last thirty miles, half of which were pure uphill-hell (Vail Pass, not recommended if you are looking for a good time). Whoever wrote "The Little Engine that Could" never knew how many people they would save.



Fun facts about Blaura the Biker this past week:



1. The Monday prior to the race I went out for Thai food and received the following fortune cookie after dinner: The climb up the mountain is worth the view at the top. Seriously, I have a knack for acquiring fortunes that really mean something.



2. Floyd Landis (the guy who one Le Tour last year and is now under investigation for doping) participated in the very same ride as yours truly. Apparently he began his trek after I did, meaning at some point he passed me by. We could have rubbed elbows.



3. I cried like a baby when I finished the race. A part of me really believed I couldn't do it. It was pure shock to reach the end--intact!

4. Time to complete: 7h 34 m, Average speed: 10.3 mph, High speed: 40.8 mph, Average speed on uphills: 4.2 mph