This will probably hurt a little...

I remember when I was younger, I got my hand caught in a machine at work....I was able to get it out, but ended up having to go to the emergency clinic to get it cleaned up and stitched.

I'll never forget when the nurse came and said she had to clean the cut before the doctor stitched it back up...she had a tub full of liquid and what appeared to be a wire brush and her comment was "now honey, this will probably hurt a little"
#$%^&*%$#!!! Are you kidding me? Hurt a LITTLE????? It felt like she was going at my hand with a chainsaw.....

Well, tonight my ride is probably going to hurt a little....

It's our regularly scheduled Thursday Lake Chabot ride. It’s normally a 13ish mile loop and I’ve decided to try to do the loop twice today to check my fitness level.

The first loop will be with my buddy Tracy and should be pretty painful...he routinely tears my legs off (which actually makes me wonder why I continue to ride with him) and tonight will probably be no exception. With just the two of us, there’s no reason to stop and regroup (or catch my breath)

After that lap, I’ll hook up with the regular group for a loop at our regular pace and with our regular regrouping stops. The pace is still fairly spirited, but with all the regrouping points, I can usually catch my breath before we start out again.

I’ve done this loop twice on a couple of previous occasions, but it’s usually later in the year and my fitness level is higher (and winter fat content is lower) so I know pretty well just how painful this evening is going to be for me.

The problem is that in less than 4 weeks, I’ve got the Sea Otter Classic Mt Bike race and I really don’t want to embarrass myself out there. Yes, once again, I’ve let a couple of beers, and an inability to ignore a challenge from my friends, get me into a situation that I’m neither equipped for nor willing to bail out of...(they say pride goeth before the fall, and I’m afraid in this case that may actually be the case)

So, tonight, in a desperate attempt to show myself I’m not in way over my head, I’m going to be doing two laps. Obviously, not at race pace, and the second lap will include several stops and rests. Of course as slow as I am and as out of shape as I am at this point, the race itself may also contain several stops...wonder if there’s a donut shop anywhere on the route?

Hopefully it will all go well and I’ll feel great for the entire ride...sadly, I don’t think that’s going to be the case...