I’m slowly getting back in the saddle after two weeks of apathy, fatigue, and, um, my real job. My return to the office was met with several 12+ hour days as I struggled to get back on my feet at work after too much time on vacation. I was deep into Monday before I could pick my head up from the keyboard and breathe a sigh of relief that I’d finally managed to wrestle my most recent project into submission. The several long days, which left little time for the restful sleep and regenerative eating that I should have been doing then took the rest of the week to shake off. Thankfully, Herwigs was running a 2-for-1 entrees on Wednesday night after cyclocross practice which went a long way to set me straight.
Saturday morning found me back on in the old routine: up at 7:30, breakfast, coffee, armwarmers, knee warmers, and a 9AM rollout on the cross bike. When Billy and I went looking for Steve, who was characteristically late, we found Cecilia at home making french toast and bacon with the kids. Hard as it was to pry ourselves away from her kitchen we managed to roll on. Before I left, though, she commented that this was the first time she’d seen me smiling since I’d been back, which was encouraging that I’m coming back around to my old form.
We rolled out for a classic short loop: out to Penns Furnace through the secret training grounds, up and over to Harry’s Valley, pausing to admire the glorious early fall view down Stone Valley, down the jeep trail and out to 26. Rather than press our timing out to Tussey, we chose to climb back up and over 26 to Pine Grove Mills and got home about noon. Two and a half hours, my longest ride since I’ve been back. The legs felt alright on the climbs and I’ve still got some work to do getting the spring back in my sprint (ok, ok. I never really had much spring in my sprint.).
Nita and I spent the afternoon out at the Kirkstock site helping to get things ready for the festivities next weekend. You’ll have to wait for the concert documentary for all the good stuff from that excursion, but the highlights involved a healthy sized fire to burn scrap wood, and me towing around the decrepit Kirkstock van with the Jeep.
Sunday looks to continue the classic crisp fall weather which is as equally well enjoyed atop a fat-tired, titanium steed as from deep within the creases of the couch, wrapped in wool, caressed by the rising steam of a big, big coffee and lost in the fiction of the closest novel at hand.
