Strangely enough, I find myself with two different post topics today. That doesn't normally happen, but I already had one in mind this morning, and then.... I had this GREAT day!! So, I think I am going to post about my day and then lightly hit my topic, and hopefully this won't turn into an epic novel, or an epic anything, for that matter.
Such a great day. NOT perfect, a la my last post, but close enough to feel really, really good. So...things I did right:
1. Made lots of progress on a new and exciting work project that is nearing completion and will be great for the community where I live. (Shout out to Press S. for the great advice about having two homes and loving them both.)
2. Ate a super healthy breakfast, a marginal lunch and a super healthy dinner --- tracked everything and stayed within my daily points allowance. Also got in the requisite amount of fruits and veggies, liquids and healthy oils. WHOO HOO.
3. Rode 5 miles on my bike, which isn't a lot, but it was TO THE GOLF COURSE, where I then played nine holes with my husband and daughter, and walked the vast majority of the course rather than riding in the cart. I'll take swinging the clubs and walking in conjunction with a fun little ride (although that means I need a really good ride tomorrow to make my weekly goal -- I think I can do it.)
And can I brag on myself here for a minute? I was a ROCK STAR on the golf course... excellent drives that were straight and long... some really good putting, and very decent hits in between. In fact, I think I earned my best score ever in a game. Amazing fun.
OK.. now to my topic.
I HATE being wet. I mean, showers are good, and pools are nice and hot tubs are heavenly.... but the whole wet due to rain, sleet, puddles thing is one of my great discomforts and irritations in life. (Side story: my mother always insisted I was potty trained by the time I was 18 months old. Not surprisingly I can't remember first-hand. Whether or not the timeline is accurate, my mom thought the reason I trained so quickly was that she used cloth, not disposable, and I absolutely hated sitting in a wet diaper.) These days, an encounter with a puddle that leaves me with wet tights inside my Mary Janes can put me in a terrible mood faster than you can say, "Squishy Toes".
And now I have chosen to ride, in September, one of the wettest routes in the continental US. To be fair, I didn't choose it for the weather. I was standing in a really quaint bookstore in Bainbridge Island, WA, and started thumbing through a book called, "Bicycling the Pacific Coast." I had just finished Wild by Cheryl Strayed and was so impressed by it, but knew I could never, with my ankles, take on that kind of challenge. But cycling -- that I can do because it's so low impact. I loved how the authors divided the ride into four pieces (which could be done together or over several trips) and gave a turn by turn guide to each segment. Each piece is between 250-400 miles. I also knew the sense of accomplishment I would feel if I could do one of the four sections, and also what prepping and training would do for my body. The mission had been conceived and accepted by the time I paid the $17.95 for the book.
It wasn't until later that the 163+ inches of annual rainfall to much of the Washington route began to sink in. Have I mentioned lately that I live in WYOMING -- in the high DESERT?????
I'm still in. All in. But now I am really researching rain gear and trying to figure out learning to ride in wet weather given that I live in a state where somewhere in July the ranchers are ready to do naked, fervent rain dances in front of a campfire if they think it might open up the skies with precipitation. So, if anyone has suggestions or experience with this, I am all ears and looking for advice.
Thanks, Blog. All things are possible, if not expedient.
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