just back from rosaryville... no photos to tell the tale

just back from rosaryville
no photos to tell the tale
you will have to take my word for it

I failed myself by not being better organized
managed to get out for two times around the course
once up and once back
did not dip into the inner loop
would have really have liked to done one more nine mile spin through
but I did not have the time

had I packed my things the night before and been quicker out of the gate it could have happened
but
summertime malaise has been controlling my lack of motivation
and well
I got smothered in it... summertime mayonnaise

just googled the term summertime malaise to see if it is a real term
had never heard of it before
thought I created the term... but it turns out to be legit

the heat can be oppressive
it can make it such that all that one wants to do is sit on the porch, fan themselves, and rock in a chair
if it were not for the bugs this would be a great time for a rocking chair and a hammock
the heat and humidity can be such that it creates a wall
a wall that needs to be broken down
a wall that needs to be prevented from being rebuilt
that thick air should not be such a barrier... but it is

today was unseasonably cool...low 90's?
not sure of the actual temperatures
it was not so thick there was that mid-day haze
so when walking the dog this morning I agreed to myself that I would use my time wisely and go ride my bike

dean had a pre-scheduled playdate with a friend from school
there was some Van Gogh thing
which left Grant at home with Lisa and myself
Grant was grumpy... four year old Grant wants to do everything that seven year old Dean does
and well... although he has his training wheels off his bike and he swims without a life jacket
this does not mean that if Dean is invited somewhere he is also invited
this put Grant in a mood

it can be hard to rationalize with four year old

I tried to sell Grant on the notion of mountain biking on the trail-a-bike
gave it a good sell, but he was not buying
Grant wanted to hang with momma Lisa

while I loaded the bike and bags into the car... lisa pulled off to go to the pool with grant
dean rolled off in a friend's family car to go to the museum

there was no real time to gather anyone to join me on my ride
I called Cargo Mike and emailed Jonathan of the Family Bike Shop
but neither was available for my noontime ride
so I was resigned to ride solo

on the way to the trailhead I realized that I did not have change for a twenty
I also realized that I did not have proper fuel
other than a banana and some coffee there was some hammer gel and some water
so I pulled into the Exxon and bought some Red Bull and a Snicker's bar
ended up getting a four pack of Red Bull which took me a few cents over ten dollars
which was perfect... that gave me four ones... three of which would be needed to pay my park fee at Rosaryville State Park

rolled into the parking lot
there were a few bikes being loaded on top of cars
there were a number of cars with racks in the lot
it was the standard weekend scene
not as crowded as Schaeffer Farms... but crowded enough to be concerned about the dangers of a head on collision

with most of the Snicker's bar and nearly the full can of Red Bull in my belly I got on my bike and started to work the tight twists and turns of Rosaryville
my mind wandered
I tried to keep my focus on the trail
it is interesting
you can let your mind wander but only after you get your focus
it is hard to explain
it is like a different level of thought
sort of Zen

once warmed up I felt like I was moving pretty good
was focused on the trail ahead of me
always aware of what may be around the next corner
always aware that distances close fast on the bike
and the sight lines are short at Rosaryville State Park

there were some people coming the opposite directions
but no one appeared at the perfectly wrong time
so I managed to keep a solid pace
was not working the stop watch
was not trying to set any records
was just out riding my bike

the combination of riding my bike and the can of Red Bull altered my mood
the summertime malaise was temporarily broken
my heart rate and my mood were up
it was as if I had taken the doctor's orders... "take two laps at Rosaryville and call me in the morning"
the Red Bull helped... but it really was the ride that I needed

some times it is hard to do what is best for us
some times we just need to get out there and do it