ass in gear. or maybe bike.

I just realized the other day that i'm riding "The Toughest Century in California" in 8 weeks. I have not been training. I have been playing on bikes and using them as an excuse to avoid working on school projects, but I have not been training. I will die on the climbs if I don't start training today.

I spent the last couple of days running the stairs instead of walking them, dancing around instead of standing still while waiting, and today was Day One of actual training.

Today was also the first day of rain in a while. So I went to the gym. oh what fun!! sweaty people everywhere! all with ipods. I joined them with a borrowed ipod and rowed in place for 2000 meters. Then I hiked in place and enjoyed the rain from my sheltered place, wishing I was outside in the rain instead. but biking fast in the rain isn't super fun, and I'm not allowed to run yet.

So I dreamt about biking along the unknown coast and through Iowa and around Crater Lake. I thought about the weekend, and how happy I am to have such great friends, and to enjoy where I am in life right now. I listened to Van Morrison and Crooked Still and Rushad Eggleston. I thought about my adventure hunting salamanders with Conor and Becky and Scientist a few weekends ago, from which I still have poison oak. and I thought: "I'm going to finish this race, I'm going to finish my first century"