Perfect weather for a bike ride . . .

July 10, 2014

Two streaks buried - for the right reasons

It bears mentioning that the shoulder surgery I underwent this week - as expected - created a welcome 'reset button' for me to press, despite some bullheaded notions about keeping a streak of streaks going.  The June visit to the Archie Bunker route marked the completion of my fourth R-12 run - but, these four were not achieved back to back, so the importance of keeping a month to month run in play sorta lost its importance a while ago anyhow.  There aren't any points for that sorta streak, even when it comes to the new Ultra R-12 prize RUSA.  I'll likely get started on run number five later this year, instead of my original plan of riding a July 200 sometime during the first three days of the month and then foolishly trying to continue it with another 200 by the end of August; and risking injury.  The personal pressure 
is off - which is good, as the shoulder repair turned out to be more involved that originally excepted - which means I could be down for longer than I'd thought.  Sure, it woulda been great to get "one more ride" before going under, but, it feels a lot better knowing I got nearly everything around the house finished and can truly rest.
Same goes for what would have been my first P-12 run:  I let June slip away without grabbing what would have been 100km ride number four.  Even thought those P rides are "only" 100km, it's still something requiring time and planning to squeeze in each month.  With the newly created conundrum of getting June's 100k, and then July's 200 *and/or* 100k rides logged prior to surgery day, and getting the house projects wrapped up before I'd lose the use of an arm, AND tying things up at work.... Too much! 
So while I don't really owe anyone an explanation as to why I suddenly went from gung-ho to killing two streaks, I still felt it notable - if only for my own future reference.  Middle aged sensibility and practicality won the day - because I'm not paid to ride my bike, that's for sure!  Further, while it indeed sounded like fun to try, that sense of being rushed would surely have made some of it feel too much like "work."  At that point, why stress it?  None of it is that important!
Now with the calendar and my mind clear and truly reset, I can focus on staying healthy and recovering.  I've got a ton of videos and other writer's blog posts and articles to catch up on, and no looming deadlines hanging over my head.  I'm not taking any more 2nd or 3rd jobs, I'm looking at school again in the coming fall, and I'm sure riding will find a place in three also, in addition to ride planning and working routes.
For now, I've got the cruise control set, and I'm not making any plans.
Wishlists...?  Ha...that's another thing!

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