California, Here I Come

This is my first post…days before I fly off to California to join my four brothers (Peter, Bruce, Ted and Mac) on a grueling 545 mile, 7 day trek from SF to LA as part of the annual AIDS/Lifecycle event.

I took the day off from training because it was supposed to thunderstorm..but it hasn’t yet. I could have been back by now, but once I said no to the ride I didn’t have the willpower to change my mind. Attitude is everything. For the past week I’ve felt sluggish before and after my 2 to 3 hr (30 to 50 mile) training, but as soon as I decided to forego the ride today, I found a burst of physical and mental energy.

Or was it the coffee this morning? For the last 4 months I’ve cut back stimulants because they compromise nutrition absorption, so when I do succumb…big energy.

But I’d also felt a twinge of rawness from my seat that I hadn’t experienced in a month, and I wanted that to settle down for a day…but what happens when I have to ride 7 days with no rest for any of the minor issues that I worked through over 6 months: the fallen arches, then the bruised wrist when I fell and fell and fell again, then the stiff neck, then the upper back pain, then the right knee, then the achilles heel ( still there), then the right knee again, then the blurring contacts.

Sounds grim, but the reality is that overcoming each one in turn has made me stronger, and I’m proud of the way my 56 year old body has responded to being pushed. My objective is not to simply survive the hills but to enjoy the road and the time with my brothers….apositive end to a first post.    Rob

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