I have a lot of yard work to do this weekend, and I want to bake, and the house really needs tending. But I also need to get in bike ride. I’m still a little timid after the mishap last ride,* but I know I can address that issue and I also know I must get back on the bike.

* I checked the quick release lever on the back wheel. Because I couldn’t close it, I loosened it by a quarter of a turn. I should have found a lever to use. While trying to get going after my first stop, the rear wheel came out of the drop out and I fell over, skinning my knee and elbow. It sucked, but I know I need to tighten the QR – even if it means I can’t get it open myself. I swam yesterday. I was pleased that I did okay while swimming without the snorkel. It just amazes me how difficult swimming is. I’m pretty sure my hips are too low in the water. I’m not doing what I’m supposed to do with my hands. I’m all over the place. It’s so frustrating, but I know that I will only improve if I keep at it.

Training for Race the River starts next week. I’m planning to focus primarily on swimming and cycling. I’ll still run, but I’m hoping to come into the race as a much stronger cyclist than I am right now. I have ridden very little over the last six months, and I don’t want to suffer on the bike. The last time I rode the TT bike, I had a horrible time. My contact patch was in agony. My hands hurt like fire. What makes that so confusing is that I was wearing the exact same kit I’d worn two or three weeks earlier at the Cycle for Life. I rode about fifty miles at Cycle for Life; the day the bike was hurting me I rode twenty-five. I was the bike leg for a relay at Plutonium Man – if I didn’t have teammates relying on me, I probably would have quit.  With all this in my head, the only bike rides I’ve enjoyed since last August have been mountain bike rides. That’s not ideal, and clearly I need to get back on that bike!

Right now, I’m waiting for the sprinklers to stop so I can get to work in the yard. But alas – I have no excuse to not do housework, so it’s time to tackle the laundry and dishes.