Well, that knee pain I mentioned in the last post has proven to be a bit obnoxious. My attempts to self-diagnose through Google have proven largely unsuccessful (unless I really did manage to acquire a torn MCL through overuse). Given that my faux-medical degree is of no use here, I've decided to go with my gut and take a few days off. That ends tomorrow, or at least that's the plan. We'll see how the morning run goes.
My plan was initially to take the whole weekend off. However, Saturday dawned with a lovely south wind and a misty beauty that was impossible to resist. So, I saddled up and headed out on the Coffee Grind with some folks from the bike club. It was pretty awesome, with the wind at our backs for long, long stretches. There is nothing quite like clipping along at 26 mph while not even breaking a sweat. Even better, since it was such easy going, I had time to look around and enjoy the scenery.
Sometimes I feel like it's easy to get lost in the competitiveness and challenge of group riding, and sort of lose sight of awesome experiences that being out on the bike brings. Saturday morning was one of those experiences, with the mist draped over the land and the freshly tilled fields spreading out to either side like a checkered quilt of earth and grass. The sun was filtered through wispy clouds and lent an ethereal quality to the whole scene. And there I was, wind at my back and peace in my heart. It was the kind of ride that refuels the soul.
Sunday presented another opportunity to revel in the fun side of this crazy sport I've become a part of. A couple friends decided to go to Albert Lea and compete in their little tri. Even without the knee, I would have been out as the water was chilly and I am still sans wetsuit. So, I tagged along with some other folks to cheer on our peeps and enjoy the day. It was a bit stormy to start, but the weather cleared (mostly) for the tri and there was actually enough sun at the end to get my neck burned.
Watching the tri was pretty fun, as the last time I watched one I had no concept of what I was seeing. This time around, when the first guy exited the water ridiculously quickly (5 min??) (edit: official results say < 4) I was suitably impressed. Not to mention I think it's good fun to be the obnoxious cheering squad at these sorts of things. As someone who has run solo and also had folks to cheer me on, I'd much rather have the support crew and its nice to pass it on from time to time. Even better, our local folks pulled down a few medals! While they may be all modest and self-effacing, it was pretty damn impressive. Good motivation, too.
Hopefully tomorrow comes (mostly) pain free, and I can get back to my training (such as it is). In the meantime, I think I might go write some poetry about early morning rides.
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