Ah, Monday. The day which the proverbial powers that be grant thyself a clear and unobstructed day with which I may do what I like, otherwise known as “the day off.” I feel last week has more than merited a bit of R&R at the moment–let me tell you why. As many of you already know, finals has her bony thumb pressing down on our foreheads imposing the dual dilemma of trying to get this oppresive weight off our brains and attempting to think, all in one go. One might imagine that as a senior university student, the skills and tools might be at my ready disposal to utilize and dispel such nuisance and you’d be right. But of course being the astute reader you are, you would also know that it is vastly more entertaining to go for bike rides than it is to sit monastically in a cold, dark room typing furiously and continuously on various topics such as unaccounted racial abuses imposed upon latinas by the U.S. prison industrial complex (in 8 to 10 pages) or maybe you’d rather compare two law journal articles that argue each other in a finger pointing bout of “he said, she said.” I mean, you can see how it’d be tough to choose which to do.
Like most extroverted, adventurous types with infinite supplies of energy to expend, I chose to alleviate the pain in my wrists by giving them a different resting position and pressing the reset button on my brain; I rode my bike–a lot. It is altogether inspiring and invigorating to ride my bike and experience the environs of the bay area in the two-wheeled fashion and find that I would prefer this mode of exploration to any other proffered by the masses; eschewing trains, plains and automobiles for the bicycle.
Last Monday I rode the Paradise Loop leaving around 8:30AM and reader, unless you yourself had been on this ride along side me, I cannot relay to you exactly how effing freezing it was in the north bay but I can recommend that if you live in San Francisco’s marine layer, thank your lucky stars for so allowing. It was freezing (maybe because I wasn’t wearing my tights, maaaaybe). And though it was part painful, it was also part enlivening and exciting to be about early in the morning experiencing a quiet and calm, punctuated every so often by a fellow cyclist with motives matching mine and soundtracked by songbirds and occasional motorists. A good 50+ miles to start the week well.
Tuesday and Thursday were days of a shorter and slower caliber, respectively. Joining a group ride Tuesday night to drop the hammer on a twenty mile loop around the City, only to be dropped myself the last 5 miles was a humbling and tiring though fantastic experience. Those riders are t-u-f-f with legs and lungs made of steel. Thursday’s rides were nice and easy, recovery from Wednesday’s Fairfaxer. A couple twenty mile rides at a slow pace placating my body, coaxing it back into regular function. The Deep-V ride was fun but could have been enjoyed more had I not been tired as all hell, more of you ladies should come out!
Wednesday I left a little later to ride in Marin county hoping to catch warmer weather than I did on Monday. Riding to Fairfax and back, about 3 hours round trip from the bridge was wholly enjoyable, a little stronger than Monday’s, probably because I was dressed for the weather and a little more conditioned for the miles. The weather was crisp and clear though, the scapes–breathtaking and the cyclists–friendly, a perfect day of riding to end the perfect week of riding.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday I took off to work and study because all play and no work makes Katie a poor girl in mind and pocket.
I hope this inspires all of you to get out and ride a little more often and explore outside the 49 sq mi’s.
Lesson’s learned this week:
1. Always wear tights when the temp is below 55 degrees F
2. Riding twice in one day is not recovery, crazy
3. It’s easier to get up early for a ride when you aren’t hung over
4. My shoulder aches in the cold weather, not fun
Have a happy holiday whatever you celebrate and I’ll see you next week with accounts of riding in the California Central Valley, stay tuned–this should be interesting.
-Katie
more pictures with yer posts!