This Sucks!

Alright, with Earth Ride '08 less than 1 week away now, I figured I'd get two nice 20 mile rides in this weekend to finish my training for the 25 miler on Saturday. Oh no, it can never be that easy can it?

Saturday 09/13/08

Alarm goes off at 3:45 A.M. I proceed to the little boys room to empty the tank. I look out the window and see dry ground. I begin to gear up. Go down stairs. Look out the window and see wet ground. Turn on the weather channel. No local forcasts as they are covering hurricane Ike pounding the tar out of Houston. Check local channels. Too early for them to have any weather or news on and they are all broadcasting paid advertising. 4:30 A.M. Finally see local radar. It's going to be raining (and hard) for a while. Wife needs to get up for work in 1.5 hours and I need to be back to be with Trail Pup (our 8 month old daughter). I resign this morning to going to the grocery store at 5:00 A.M. - by the way it stopped raining at like 7:00 P.M. Total mileage - 0

Sunday 09/14/08

Alarm goes off at 3:45 A.M. I proceed to the little boys room to empty the tank. I look out the window and see dry ground. I begin to gear up. Go down staris. Look out the window and see dry ground. Sweet. I'm on the road at 3:54 A.M. Plenty of time to get in 20 miles or so and still be back to do my monthly ushering duties at church. 4:18 A.M. I shift to the "big schprocket" and the chain comes off. No problem. Put chain back on. Keep moving. 4:25 A.M. Prairie Trail southern trail head. I shift again. Chain comes off. Wraps around the bottom bracket shell. Don't ask me how this one happened. All I know is it's dark and the only tools I have are my bare hands. Flip Gary upside down on the trail. Remove the back wheel (thank God for quick realease). Long story short - 20 minutes later, Gary's back together and I'm rolling again. No chance now of getting the 20 miles in. I'd have to make some quick route adjustments. I ended cutting out riding into Taychedah and clipping the "Piggly Wiggly Loop" out of the ride. I did ride through Lakeside Park for the first time on a bike. I wish I'd had my camera along cuz there were some nice early morning shots. Total mileage - 16. Trail Dog ticker up to 126 (should have been 150).

So next week is the Earth Ride. I should be ok with 1-25 mile ride. Looks to be a gorgeous day from what they're saying right now any way. Post Earth Ride. I did start to pick up some cold weather gear. I don't think cold temps are going to hang Gary up for the winter, but the first heavy snows may (at least for road riding - I'll have to drive to the trail heads, unless I get one of those Surley "Pugsley"s that our Alaskan friends are riding). Doing an MTB racing clinic on 10/11/08 and hopefully getting some Singletrack in with Scotty on 10/19/08. That will be my next challenge. Till then.

Just pedal through it

Craigers