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| Pumpkins at the Monastery Farm |
Morning TT Rides -sort of.....
There is a little 40 mile loop I would normally ride on the road bike as kind of a tempo thing. The path I take using the hardtail is a little more consistent in general conditions, with some great variations in the way of rollers and features. As such, I've been using it as a quasi Time Trial course, where I'm constantly trying to improve my overall time. I currently have a specific time I'm personally trying to beat and am short by about 75 seconds overall. It is ideal in the sense that I can't really make up any time on the downhill sections, as I'm already spinning-out in my fastest gears. I do have to push harder on the return trip with just under 500 feet of climbing in the last 5 miles with more than 200 feet in the final 1 mile. Doing this three days a week is not too bad, but I wouldn't consider myself at an off season base level condition. I probably need to make some minor adjustments to the schedule as to improve the situation.
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| Hardtail at the point |
Continuing Assessments
It's good to be busy, but time sure flies by in the process. Looking toward next year seems kind of ridiculous, given the events of the past year. However, one needs to be looking far enough ahead as to keep an eye on the potential future. Sure, there are those things that can't be seen, but having a plan with some room for contingency is a must. Allowing for things outside of our own control to dictate the outcome is a sure way to fail. As time moves along, the assessments need to continue. Its that classical loop of ; plan, execute, assess, adjust, execute assess.... It never gets old, just a little frustrating at times.
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| Full out Autumn - Somebody has to do it. |
A Time to think things over
Generally, long repetitive rides make for a good time to think about.....stuff. Trying to make it a TT kind of takes some focus, as it does require a constant effort, but somewhere along the way different tasks and projects seems to float into the mind. I've been known to figure out some fairly complex engineering problems while doing extended rides. I mean, not actually doing the detailed calculations, but enough as to know the general result. Sorting through controls, motor torque calculations, dissolved gas analysis results - its all just stuff that I need to sort through, but need to also be away from it at the same time. Then there are those personal matters - the things that just linger. The spice of life, or the heartburn that follows. Either way, I do make use of my time riding when I can.
Most recently, we had another fellow alum pass away. Not really one of the regular group, as he was in a different class and definitely ran with a different crowd, but still a kid we all knew from way back in the day. It's a bit curious as there are certain things, or places you immediately associate with someone when your first hear their name after so many years. This kid was a year younger than me and played on my little league baseball team when I was in sixth grade. Our coach was a really nice guy, but a terrible coach. He had this younger guy, maybe in his very early twenties, helping him as well. Truth is, he didn't know anything either and was a genuine jackass. Very early in the season, probably a pre-season game, we were getting throttled - badly. After a couple innings, our two "coaches" decided to call the game and go directly into what they hoped would be a very intense practice. So the young coach decided to start driving hard line shots at the infielders, when after only a couple quick hard hits, he nailed this kid right where it hurts the most - use your imagination. I mean...I though the poor kid was dead right there. Needless to say that was the end of a bad idea and the beginning of a very long season. To this day, when I hear his name, I remember that event as though it happened yesterday. I'm pretty sure that line-shot from fifty-years ago didn't contribute to his untimely and premature death, but its crazy how you associate that type of memory with people over the years. Turns out, this kid had gone on to law school and had a successful career in Las Vegas. I probably haven't seen him in forty-years and wouldn't have recognized him if I had ran into him recently. But that's how life is - it moves on regardless of virtually everything else. In the process, our memories are refined to things that may otherwise have a specific association - event, place, time...you get the picture.
How are you associated?
With all of this, I've wondered how other people associate me with their memories. Mention a name of anyone from my past and ask me to say the first thing that comes to mind - it may surprise even me. The same goes with places, events, or dates. It's kind remembering where you were when hearing that John Lennon was killed, or Ronald Regan had been shot, or what you remember about hearing Led Zeppelin IV for the first time - okay maybe that is a stretch, but you get the picture. But really - what is that thing that people will always remember me for when they hear my name after fifty-years? Unfortunately, we really can't go back and change that impression. I suppose it is like the first impression being a lasting impression - but is it really the prevailing impression? I was recently listening to a podcast where the person being interviewed was given a rapid-fire format list of names and asked to say the first thing that came to mind. Wow! that was truly revealing. I know it's too late to change the result, but what is that "thing" that will always be associated with you, with any one individual from your past? Is it a fair representation, or is it the result of a really bad experience? I suppose it could be a very positive experience as well, but still....I really wonder.
Back to the Daredevils.....Man this is deep.
Pulling for REED! Just ride...
