Day 156, Dupe of the Year!

How many levels of WRONG can you find in this disgusting (but brilliant) video shill from the billionaires at Coke who have duped us into believing that sugar and water is a magical elixir?

As a videographer, a pitch-man, a cyclist, a health conscious-freedom-loving-vegetarian with an deep appreciation for the art of influence, I find it an outrageous oxymoron of our modern society; Able to disgust with delight.

As a consumer (not of Coke) I have but a single question:

HOW DUMB DO THEY THINK WE ARE?

If there is a God, please allow the backlash to begin, with biblical proportion. And then some.

D-Day 155

Those of you that live where the sun shines most of the time have no idea.

In the Pacific Northwest we see the world through gray tinted glasses. It is cloudy the same number of days that Vegas boasts of sunshine.

It is moist often. This maintains a verdant glow of green to rival Ireland. We wear fleece, drink coffee and steadfastly go about our business regardless. We have been called the Switzerland of the US. I think it is more like Scotland, where gumption abounds. There is a hardiness that calms.

Over the past thirty years I have grown accustomed to the myriad forms of rain, sleet, snow, drizzle, hail and relentless days of diffused light and partly cloudy weeks. Sometimes months.

Usually about April we start to mention it among ourselves. Wet whippers among the inner sanctum. The better off head to Maui or Tempe for a couple of weeks. Everyone else finishers the book, makes another round of cheer breathing deep into the memory of summers past.

They will be here again and we will all get some long needed vitamin D any day now. Well.

Today was the day.

WOW.

Don't tell anyone from California. There would be ten bazillion people here if every day was like today. Don't say anything on FaceBook. Do not tweet about it. If you are going to blog please PLEASE have a readership less than mine (difficult, but not impossible).

God it was a beautiful day.

Thank you.

Day 154, Fuck yes!

These thoughts come and go. I let them. I try to hold on and ponder their depths, but they quickly dart from consciousness like a hummingbird from a sugar-loaded feeder. Here…gone. What was that?

It was a hummingbird. It was a rose. It was a memory. It was a smell.

I remember when the memories weren't so dynamic. It was just last week.

Now they have been gone for years.

And I miss the moment of doing. And I want it back.

I want roses in December.

I want the hummingbirds to move in.

I want the feeling of tension in my gut as the race is about to start. I want the endorphin flow of passion and love.

Now.

Not the memory of the way it once was. I want it new, exciting and fresh. I want the giddiness and the goofiness, the giggles and grins.

I am tired of the solemnity of dealing with my irregular heart rate, the fact that I could stroke out at any moment. That this day of this year could very well end up being the last four digits on my to-from years. I have been hanging around for more than six decades now. That is a lot of time.

Have I used it well? Am I satisfied? Have I prepared well for retirement?

FUCK NO.

I have squandered it away like Monopoly money.

Have I had fun?

FUCK YES.

Am I happy?

Yes again.

Was the immediate gratification worth the disaster I am about to face, being broke into the 'golden years'?

Know what? We'll see.

I kinda like the challenge.

That was the thought that blew past as I sat on the beach at sunset and finished a terrific novel of love, life and lies.

Day 153

My back hurts. It has been a long day. The early morning 0530 Super Eights kicked my ass. Had to visit the hospital for pre-anestesia  screening and anti-coagulation session, a two hour each way commute. Walked the dog twice. Did a 3x brick consisting of a 5 mile CompuTrainer ride, a one mile super hilly run repeated three times.

Sampled one of our home-made IPAs on the ride home.

Now I need some sleep.

Is that too much to ask?

I promise I will author something of literary value tomorrow.

Or die trying.

I was asked during the screening about my exercise. I looked deep into the RN's eyes and asked, 'have you ever gone as hard as you could at ANYTHING for 30 seconds?'. She thought for a moment before answering, 'no'.

We did eight times this morning and I am racing tonight.

DO YOU GET IT? Does that answer your question?

This is what I do. Please help me.

Or get the fuck out of the way.

Thank you.

Day 152

The debate rages onward.

I made the casual remark last night in the PB suggesting that the 30% of our population overweight would find the going easier if they all had a goal.

Like a race.

A BIG RED CIRCLE on the calendar.

Because we work backwards from there to ensure our race day preparedness.

I believe this to be crucial in the obtainment of goals, race times, PRs or simply staying motivated, fit and engaged. If there is something of value that I desire, I will do whatever necessary to put myself in the best possible position to succeed. Further, if it is a race goal, that means the backup starts now and includes every day.

Ditch the cheeseburgers and potato chips. Lose the Oreos and popcorn. Donuts and chocolate eclairs? See ya.

Sleep is better, nutrition is cleaner and stress managed more efficiently with a clear, precise goal constantly dangling off your visor.

So where is the debate?

In the concept that spontaneity and living for the moment trump any long range goal. That freedom contains a component of ad-lib and creation. That our mantra of living in the present moment excludes worrying about the future.

All good. BUT…..

Having a wholesome and challenging long term goal provides stability and hope. It forces you into an examination of your every move. It illustrates the value of the routine. I am here to suggest that much like the yin and the yang, one cannot have one without the other.

One's dedication to the goal, to the process, to the path of continual improvement, keeps us on the road to BOTH immediate gratification in the form of a relaxed focus in the present moment AND keeps an eye on the future goal that we are working to obtain.

Sure makes it easier for me to visualize myself on race day a mile from the finish line and feeling good, as today I slug out a particularly gnarly set of hill repeats.

The road is the goal. Indeed. Same way that the goal is the road.

Have one. And light out to achieve it.

One step at a time.

No debate.

Day 151

The only way you get to quit is to ring the bell.

The bell lets everybody know you quit.

They know your choice. Because it affects them also.

Ring that bell and you may leave.

And you may never return.

The choice is totally yours.

Of course you may be successful at other endeavors.

But not this one.

DO NOT RING THAT BELL.

Day 150, Cheers!

Holy Macaroni. It is June 1. Worse (glass half empty) it is 2014.

I woke up this morning with a few not-so-gentle reminders that the above metrics officially label me 'old'. As in able to collect some Social Security, get breakfast discounts at Denny's (nothing more than a reduction in portion) and a small price reduction on ferry fares. Where I have been rehearsing my pitiful announcement to the gate attendant with a concise, 'One senior to Bainbridge please'.

Gas is back to $4/gal. America is numb. Fifty bucks to fill the tank? For freedom? The price we pay to get to and from the job? To take the kids to the beach on Saturday, and to lacrosse practice after school?

Or because we have grown accustomed to the convenience?

Or because we have are conditioned?

Because it is just too easy to hop in the Toyota (nice try UAW to get us to buy American crap) and speed to the Safeway for more Diet Pepsi?

The hypocrisy of this I have not lost in the jungle of my psyche. I know i should ride my bike more. I drove 100 miles yesterday to ride up a hill, have my picture snapped by two Japanese tourists wearing UConn t-shirts, and free-fall back down. I get 20 per, so that joyous jaunt cost me sixteen ducks. Not to mention the food and the frothy reward. An expensive way to have some good, clean fun. Don't make me compare, please. And since I am rambling FU Steve Balmer and Doug Baldwin.

But I am old and now taking Warfarin, so I probably should be heeding the advice of Ryan in the Anticoagulation unit, who told me Friday to be sure to wear my helmet when I ride so I won't bleed to death should I crash. I actually thought about that as I hit 40mph.

I suppose I should be happy that today is June1. We are heading out for another ride in 90 minutes. There is a little cloud cover today, but no rain, so far.

The plan is to jam as much fun into the reaming time as possible. To raise the water line above half-full.

To the rim. Cheers!