Normally I'm a real "look at the bright side" kind of guy, but in all honesty the last 3 days have sucked ass. First and foremost, my flight to see Anne in the UK was cancelled. We got smacked with a hellish snowstorm Sunday that cancelled thousands of flights and shut down all the major airports in the northeast United States. I can easily say I've never been more disapointed. This sucks, sucks, sucks! We haven't seen each other in around 2 months, and I wanted nothing more for Christmas than to give her a giant hug and kiss at Heathrow. I could get a flight out, but the earliest it would be is Thursday night from JFK. Because I'm scheduled to come back to the states Sunday the 2nd, this would literally be like a 72 hour visit. While I would fly a million miles to see her for 5 minutes, it just wouldn't make sense for me to get there only to turn around a day or so later IF it is possible for me to get a refund on the flight. So we've decided that if it is possible for me to get my money back, we'll save that money, and put it toward a more enjoyable and extended visit for her here in the states near the end of next month. While I'm happy about that, the fact is that I still miss my Anne and want to see her asap!!!
So with that, the next thing to fail has obviously been the weather. While I certainly don't mind the cold and snow, when you have no immediate plans it can tend to put a cramp in your style. The snow on the trails is more than a foot deep, so riding and running them is out. I mean technically I could get out there on the bike, but the workout wouldn't be worth much and I'm not a huge fan of putting undue stress on my mtb because it's the only one I've got at present-needs to last and I'm not rolling in enough cash right now to run through a drivetrain and new suspension.
I did manage a run yesterday, but again, it was on icy, slippery roads, but I can say that at least it was some good "base" milage. It got me out of the house as well, helping to get me to stop dwelling on the fact that I'm stuck in New York instead of the UK.
On another, and more positive note, I did manage to get in 2 of the best mountain bike rides of the year (and most likely the last mountain bike rides of the year) in the days before the storm. Christmas Eve was a short 2 hour ride that felt ridiculously smooth and fast. Then Christmas day was a longer, 3:15 ride that was equally as good. There are two things at play here. First and foremost, I'm getting good on the bike-real good. I wouldn't say that my fitness level is any better than it was toward the end of the season, but my handling and technical skills are just getting better and better. Since I started getting into mtb'ing seriously this past August, techy stuff has always been a strength of mine and now I'm just reading another level. There's still more to go, but I'm more than happy with the progress I've made.
The other element here, is just that I'm getting used to riding on dirt and judging the conditions as I go. I've been able to develop (much I'm sure like all mountain bikers do over time) an inate sense of soil and rocks and roots. That is, I know exactly how each is going to feel, and just how much I can push until I loose traction. This isn't something you can learn over night, and I'm sure with all riding there's a point of trial and error, but with this development in my riding, I feel like I can go faster and push the limits just a bit more. It's exciting as hell!
So that's the good and the mostly bad. I've got some serious cabin fever running right now and the end might not be until next week. It's tough not to dwell on the fact that I'm missing Anne like crazy now, but on the positive we will be able to spend time together in only a few weeks time from New Year's. Here's a quote from an all time cinematic masterpiece, Happy Gilmore: "Harness the good, block the bad. Harness good, block bad." Hehe, words to live by!
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