40K of nothing but pain

Ok, so I another blog post, but this one is all about a pretty crazy experience I had yesterday. I drove to Jacksonville to do a race, but it was a fawking intense racing. There are a few different types of races in cycling (road race, criterium, circuit race, etc) all challenging in a different way. One of the most intense races is a time trial. This is when each rider is sent off individually, each separated by one minute intervals. It's all about one man riding against the clock, trying to finish the course in the fastest time. It's all about aerodynamics and just going balls out. But it pretty much comes down to whoever can suffer the most. I've only done two of this type of race in the past, and I've done well considering. But yesterday's race was like nothing ever before. It was a 40 kilometer course (about 25 miles) of nothing but pain. I didn't know what to expect. I pretty much thought that I'd keel over at the finish and possibly die. That obviously didn't happen, but it was insane. I rode the course in 57 minutes, and I was hoping for 55, but whatev I still placed well. But seriously, no one really knows suffering until they do one of these. It's such a mental experience. For the first five miles all I did was question why in the hell I was doing this to myself. Once I got over that initial hump, it was just about not dying while trying to kill myself. Makes sense, right? During a race like this, you drool all over yourself, blow snot all over yourself, whatever, it really doesn't matter. You are in a completely different world for the time that you are riding the course. It's like you are in a zone where nothing else exists, nothing else matters. All you can think about is pedaling nonstop and the pain you feel from doing so. It was insane, but I'm happy to just have finished strong and not die. Other riders were not so lucky. There were a few that collapsed while riding and had to be taken to a hospital. Cycling is no joke.

oh wow

Haven't updated ye ol' bloggo in a while. Really haven't had the motivation to, but now I do. What have I been up to lately? Well, not a whole lot. It's summer. I don't have school to worry about. I don't have a real job. Most of my friends have been in Europe or China or something crazy. So I've been doing a lot of my own thing. Riding ye bicycle like a monster. Going to coffee shops to read and listen to my ipod. That is like my new favorite thing to do. I've become good at finding activities to help the time pass, and just chill really. Making time to do nothing but enjoy life is something I try to do as often as possible. You should do the same.

Anyway, how about dem Magic? They advanced to the NBA FINALS last night! I can't believe it. I remember being four years old and being obsessed with the Shaq and Penny duo, watching them get swept against the Rockets, being heartbroken when Shaq left the Magic for the Lakers.. so much history with this team. It's amazing to see them return to greatness. It's also amazing to see so many people that never gave a shit about the Magic suddenly become completely obsessed. I mean, yeah, support them. But I think it's kind of sad that it takes a great playoff performance for everyone to jump on the bandwagon, and they'll be forgotten about completely come July. Anywho... my birthday is in a week and all I want is a Magical Championship!

Probably the best book I've ever stuck my nose in. I love it. I plan my days around being able to read it. Just thought I'd share.

sunset's never were so bright, and the sky never so blue

So, the spring semester ended one week ago. I woke up last friday morning at 5:45 and went and took my last final (100 question biology exam) and I owned it. I walk away from this semester with two A's and one B (yeah I only took three classes). It's so funny too. With about a month left in the semester I thought I was going to fail biology and get a bad grade in statistics. I totally devoted myself to my studies in that final month. Walked away with an A in statistics after absolutely owing the last test. I had a high B in Biology in the end, just three points away from an A, so I'm pretty pleased with myself. That just goes to show that if you put your mind towards anything and truly devote enough of yourself, you can achieve anything. I've always been a strong believer in this philosophy and it's never let me down.

Anyway, my summer has been pretty stellar so far. All I've done have been ride my bike A LOT and just chill and enjoy life. Cinco De Mayo was sooooo fun. Seriously, props to all my friends for celebrating with me. Gotta love that Mexican heritage. But seriously, I'm living the dream. Yesterday, I slept all day because I was feeling kind of suck. I finally got up at like 3 and decided to go ride. I was out in the middle of freaking nowhere and I ran into a rider I know from the local scene. We rode together and just talked and cruised and enjoyed life. Riding with him added like an extra hour to my ride, but it was so worth it. And today, I woke up at 7, rode for 2.5 hours with a good friend, enjoyed it greatly. Right after that, I went downtown and enjoyed a nice hour of yoga (give that stuff a try, it's really legendary). Now, I'm chillin' downtown at a sick little spot, listening to my ipod, sipping coffee, and writing this stupid blog. This is what I do these days, and I love it.