Talk about a great day to get outside! If you're an active person you'll understand what the perfect day feels like. It's a day where your body performs. These are the days when moments pass with little effort and your mind connects with the body which then become one with your environment. If you're a runner, the earth becomes soft and the air flows into the lungs and out again. If you're into cycling the wind is always at your back and the tires beneath hug the road as if it were a missed friend or a long sought companion.
I clutched today by the jaws and made it mine. It was officially my gym day. Before 8 AM I was in the gym running then ended the session working on my torso. By afternoon I was in the 6-mile Run State Park. I took the bike out for the first long distance ride I have done since October, 2009. 23.95 was today's number. I did 24 miles on my bike. Granted it took just over 2 hours but that's okay. I made a few stops. The first was to look at a canal I had never noticed in the park. The second was a lake where the Princeton crew team trains. The final stop was at Wawa in Kingston, NJ for a water break. That's it.
I was tired but proud. I have officially begun training for the tour de cure bike ride in Princeton, NJ. I hope to do 30 miles for the event. After this afternoon's success I think I can at least finish the charity ride. I know I won't be among the first 100 to cross the finish line but I'll make sure I am in competitive form and end somewhere between riders 200 - 300 that cross the 30-mile marker.
