A Beautiful Morning Ride.

Well, 2 months out and still plenty to do and even more to accomplish.

I had a dream last night, in which, I was departing for Ireland. My newest and closest friends were there. I said all my goodbyes and headed towards the door. At the last moment I couldn't leave because I had forgotten something. The only problem was that I had no idea what that 'something' was, and of course, because it was a dream, I struggled and struggled without ever figuring it out. I know you all have had one of these dreams, they are probably one of the most annoying dreams you can have. The best part about them is when you wake up and experience an impressive relief because it has all, in fact, been a dream and none of it was real.

Well, as I struggled, my alarm went off at a severely early six a.m. to which I responded with a swift snooze slap. "5 more minutes please." Now, it's not as if I was getting up for work, but instead to ride before going to work. Time and time again, I have slapped my hand against the snooze every five minutes for over an hour to try to get an extra bit of shut-eye, only to leave my morning ride short and dissatisfying, all for that extra hour of sleep.

But this morning was different. I immediately thought of my dream and how I had forgotten something. I thought three months out was a long time but the last month has flown by before my eyes. Now only two months remain. My training must improve: my rides must grow longer, my legs must grow stronger, gear needs to be purchased, maps made, bike tuned, press distributed. Before the alarm could wake up for a second time I was putting on my socks, shoes, shorts, helmet, all that jazz and walked outside into the grey-steel morning light.

Now, it would be a lie if I said the 25 miles I rode this morning were a breeze. I was just cruising along and suddenly a peloton of 5 dudes cruise past me with lightning speed. What are they doing that I'm not? What do they know that I don't? How does everyone in central park in the morning move so quickly? So sure, it wasn't my body that was struggling, but my brain. The mental wheels were spinning realizing a bit of the actual situation I'm getting myself into. I felt like I was busting ass and that my legs possibly couldn't spin any faster and here this group seemed to effortlessly slingshot right by. As I pondered I remembered immediately something my roommate said to me last night, "It's a marathon, not a sprint." Instantly I stopped being concerned and just tried and pushed a bit harder.

I know I don't have to be the fastest guy out there or race across the country as fast as I can. It's all about a nice steady pace so I can ride nearly everyday for long distances. I just need to stop pressing that damn snooze button.