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Little things add to the prize. Rolling into the trees, better.

Knees

Wear and tear, old stuff fades into a sort of rhythm of not quite perfect performance, kind of like knees and brains. The rhythm is there when you look closer and see what you need, if you did the homework somehow it's there. Pieces fall together like the jigsaw allows and every little victory adds up to bigger ones down the path. Looking through the calendar at the season knowing my time is close and far away too.

Where?

2 PBRs,  salad and a Fat Boy, how's that for a great evening after an mtb race. Wednesday this time, epic course, great trails and super competition. Apparently I was on Auto-Pilot and missed an arrow. Went from 15 seconds behind second place as I was starting to move up to who knows where. I managed to walk around Lincoln Meadow, bushwhack up the hill and find the track again. Behind guys who started minutes after the Pro field. The first time up Heinous Hill I went from 7th to just behind 2nd, why can't I climb this well on a road bike? Then a breather over the top instead of closing the gap put 2nd place out of sight long enough for me to lose sight of him long enough to brain fart off course. Cleaning climbs and riding well were the take aways. Frustration that I could have challenged for the win weren't too far outside. The form is building, life is opening windows and doors. Better to be fast later and slower now.   

Dishes

I have a picture in my head of what the insides of my legs look like. After yesterday I think they might look like what a tornado does to a trailer park... Something like medium to complete disarray. Nothing to complain about, it was hard, I rode well the last 25 km, the rest of the race was, less than that good. I stayed upright and the roads were familiar and the trail was there for me to follow. As best as I could. Nothing special on the effort other than not going down and quitting to avoid the last four climbs. I was like duct tape, always a little more stick-um to be useful, maybe not enough to do the whole job and keep it all together but enough to get through and finish complete, now today I use the duct tape to put together the broken dishes in time Wednesday's test. It feels good to have the achy legs, I earned that. I managed to finish strong which was hard to considering the effort left out there. Getting it all done was important, inside it feels almost as good as a great result. 

Happen

Little slices of Summer are creeping in to fill the empty pool winter left behind. A few hot days will only improve the motivation and more sleep makes the overflow happen.

Coils

The spring as I push it down gets tight, potential energy. After a while the spring still coiled, ready to pop hasn't lost any energy. Ready for release. We'll see what power the spring has tomorrow, today I'm still recovering.

Where Eagles Dare

I didn't see eagles but redtail hawks, marmots, pika, mountain goats and big horn sheep. Looking around took a lot away from my time, reaching for the camera only slowed me down. After all the pictures, I took away more than the effort. I could turn the pedals all day up there, it's that cool.

Dayjob

I get little slices of goodness, like 27 mile climbs, whatever 43km of uphill, like the stories I've heard of the climbs in the Alps and Pyrenees, not too much redzone just a solid tempo uphill and down for 3 hours or so. Someday I can ride those famous hills, I almost want to turn pedals up the Koppenberg or the Muur van Geraardsbergen and the Huy as much as I want to do the Tourmalet and Ventoux.

Tuned

I think I look down a lot when I'm going hard, usually watching my shins and knees pedal the bike. Some riders, I think watch their wrists, not so much in racing, but training-a lot. Always looking for the next bit of efficiency, easy to look for-hard to find. Big weeks lead to big sleep. Too tired to do anything, I should have called it a day even earlier than the 9 pm pillow. Racing is getting better as the form comes out of hibernation, it was a long winter and it did snow last week, happy to have warmer days with uncovered legs, summer!

OK

Crap

Fell of the wagon today and have paid for it, well more like the body didn't respond to shit junk food the way it does to the good stuff, fuel in fuel out, you use low grade shit, you get worse power. Me today, better tomorrow, it wasn't even fun. The institutional life makes me faster. Without it I feel crappy.

Clown

I have never had an irrational fear of clowns, I always thought that was made up, why be afraid of clowns? I had a friend who, as an adult got a clown birthday cake from his mother, sort of a joke...I think, he threw it away, rude, I thought. I lack that sort of edgy fear of things, relatively well adjusted, relatively. Nothing to really push me over the edge, I feel ok about a lot of things, maybe even most things.

Think

The closest I can get to the pieces that fit. 

Around

Little changes in pitch make a big difference. Getting out is the better thing, no matter what wheels are turning under me, it all helps. Slowness fades into earned fatigue. Loops get better and the wildlife is looking at us curiously, why? Get out and find it in the woods.

Rhythm

Not the longest climb, the steepest or the hardest, just a good climb, warm late day uphill trip. Steady pace, better to do this than just about anything else, so perfect, smooth and up, not much more on two wheels is better. Slowly at first then building the tempo, the melody moves into rhythm in my legs. Not a pissing contest, good work with good people, so much training is alone, bright(er) spots when company is there. Lighter on the pedals, turning over my gear, rhythmic and clear, no static, interference distractions melt away, the bike the pedals and the hill, perfect. This breeds strength later on in the season. There is always the next race to go better. Never is there a perfect effort, always room for improvement on even the best days.

Old School

I like listening to real sounding music on my iPod, almost like the vinyl is there but not really, the little pops that only come from older stuff, nothing fake or contrived to sound old. It makes me want to get a vinyl to digital turntable to load it into iTunes.

Days on end

Back to it after a break, puzzles, pieces and separation and lots of listening. Today is the first day of the new days, the last day was yesterday.

boiled

A little shaken, not too much, ready to get down to the task, ready for the thick and fast groups of the first real tests of the season, nothing major, my tests schedule building, readying for what really matters. The keys are right there, nothing to keep out the progress other than less sleep and the wrong fuel in the system. I can listen, I can hear, you need both. Make sure the clutter is gone, empty the head and fill the tank. Ready?