Mental Constipation

This morning I was having mental constipation. My brain was frozen like a Wisconsinite's colon. Get it? Wisconsin... all that cheese....constipation...? Oh 'cmon!!! I tried and tried, but I could not get my mojo going for my ride OR much of anything else. I got some work done on one of my other blogs, readied some bottles, found some bibs and a jersey for my "supposed" ride, but I still just sorta futzed around the house. Road? Trail? Rail trail? 'Come on dude, times-a-wastin'! The sun is getting ball dropping hot!! Shit or get off the freaking pot!! I knew I needed to get going, yet I continued to futz.

OK, maybe I should just abort? Do some more work, write some e mails, maybe look for a job? Ah f*ck it, where's my iPod??? I'm just gonna grab the Mamasita, and pound out a quick rail trail ride. Maybe listen to some of that music that I keep downloading from eMusic, yet never get around to listening to.

Success! Out of the f*cking house! OK, a tempo ride on the rail trail was not my first choice of rides or things I wanted to do today, but beer at 9 a.m. while not unheard of, is frowned upon by both society and Wifey's alike. My second choice would have been an all you can eat Mexican buffet, but not only are there none around here, my steadily climbing BMI made me think better of it. So I figured if I want to enjoy things like Hop Devils, Mexican food, and life in endurance racing's mid pack, I better put forth at least a reasonable facsimile of a ride.

Just before I entered the rail trail parking lot I thought of two things. The first thing was the sign I just saw before making the right turn that said "Boston, PA, named after Boston, MA". Yeah, no shit!! THANKS! The second thing, was- "Oh EPH! I left my head phones on the couch!!" Grrr! Doing a rail trail ride without head phones CAN be done, but it is NOT recommended. But here I was, at the trail head with an iPod and no earphones. Frig!

I figured, I'm here. I need to get a quick workout in, so earphones be damned. I started out, and unbelievably I soon found myself in a Zen like state of peace. I was amazed. This is a rail trail along a "not so scenic river", with some "not so scenic" scenery. I'm on a mountain bike made for MOUNTAIN BIKING. Single track, dirt, mud and rocks, not limestone! Why am I feeling this way?

I had no idea? But I just went with it, because it felt good. The sun was warm, my legs were waking up, and I cruised along nicely just taking in the sounds of my tires on the limestone and my breathing. I thought about life, about goals, about the good and the bad things that have happened over this season of racing, and about where I want to go on my bike in the future. Most of all I thought about how damn glad I was that I took a 105 minute dose of the mental laxative that is riding my mountain bike.

The rail trail could have repaid me for my past ill words of it with miles of boredom. Instead it gave me the gift of getting out in the summer sun, riding my bike, thinking about life, and feeling like I'm riding and enjoying life, not escaping it. I needed that. EVEN if it was just the rail trail.

Later.