harder, better, faster, stronger

embarked on a ride with mckeegan and grant out to dry river and then some. my legs were a little sore from my testing yesterday, but all in all i felt pretty good. you'd be amazed how much eating a little food and drinking enough water/cytomax on a ride can do for your energy. after drafting andy while he was doing his two sets of 10 min intervals a lil under 300 watts, we cruised around, south of reddish and hit some spectacularly beautiful roads. i swear this kid knows some of the prettiest loops in rockingham. after cranking it up a few climbs with the boys, i disclosed the entirety of my limited knowledge about climbing, techniques, and tactics. wound up getting in about 55 miles over 3 hrs. not too shabby.

considering that i hadn't even sat on my bike for approximately 18 months up until august, and when i tried to ride with these same guys last semester i was getting smoked, it is very encouraging to be able to hang with them on these bigger rides. a little boost to the self esteem is good once in a while. when i think about the progress (physical and mental) i have made with my riding since september, optimism is sky high. some decent race results helps too. not to mention that the simple act of riding my bike has done wonders for my mental state in general. while it was painfully challenging to find the motivation to get on the bike from the beginning of december through the end of january, i am glad that i was able to some of the time. its just so relaxing and helps me empty my head, take out a little frustration on the roads, and put things in perspective. The fact that I am getting stronger and faster certainly makes it easier to put my mind at ease too. don't think any of that makes too much sense, oh well.

time to watch some bball. go zags!!