Now That I Have Some Time...

Perhaps I'll be writing a bit more. Besides, you know the old saying, "Those who can't do, blog."

It's Saturday night. Steph and I are home, blissfully crossing off longstanding to-do list items. Primarily the fun kind. Well, at least mine are.  Write more.  Read more -- just finished Tyler Hamilton's Secret War about the rampant corruption in cycling during the height of the Lance Armstrong Years.  Visit more -- hung out with my buddy TJ and new neighbor Ruben at my favorite local bar.

I grudgingly admit it, but maybe this bike crash has jarred my priorities back into order. Make no mistake, I will tackle training with a new level of anger and vengeance once I'm cleared to do so. I hate that an opportunity to improve during a vacation period was taken from me.  But, this brief period "off" has made me realize some of the lazy fun I've been missing in pursuit of my more ambitious (and riskier) fun.  For example, I slept in until 11 a.m. this morning. 11 A.M. IN THE MORNING!!!  On a Saturday!!!  Usually I'm 2.5 hours deep into a ride by then.  Today, Steph and I lounged around, took in a movie (Life of Pi, excellent!!!), visited with friends for an early dinner, and I hung out afterwards grabbing a beer.  After that I finished the Hamilton book and here we are, nearing midnight, writing while the knee is propped up on the couch.  I have no concerns about getting to bed early because of a training session tomorrow.  I must admit, this feeling is nice. Very nice.

Still, I hunger for the competition.  I hunger to play with and yes, beat or be beaten by my teammates.  I miss trying to get just a bit better each day. Getting out of bed wondering if I can push a bit farther today than I did yesterday. But at least I've been reminded that training at all is a gift.  So is life, for that matter. Everyone who hears my story about what happened cannot believe that I essentially walked away from the crash without any broken bones.  I appreciate that more and more, especially now that I have more time to reflect on such things.

Slowing down, just like in training, can sometimes cause the greatest gains.  In this case that doesn't mean wattage. It means some (probably needed) perspective.