Damn, it feels good to be almost kind of like spring (as well as a gangster, but you know that). And it feels even better to have returned to the trails after a brief bout of desperation (not referring to my pre-Wifey sex life).
However, to quote Sponge Bob, “All that glitters is not gold,” for my eagerness to jump back right into my “normal” hikes of 4 to 5 miles at my “fast for a fat guy who’s not actually running” pace has brought back a case of mild plantar fasciitis still left-over from using shitty hiking boots over the winter.
Evening rest, adult refreshments, ice, some very unprofessional massage, and the continued use of trekking poles while lumbering have helped a ton, and with the 10-day forecast void of significant snow or ice, it’s time to end the Winter Contingency Act and get back to my 25+ mile a week goal.
I had an interesting moment during Tuesday morning’s 5.25 lumber at Deerfield; I had just turned the corner onto Wildwood Trail, and my watch buzzed to let me know I had just finished my fourth mile, and it said 16:05, which after 8 weeks or more of hiking on trails strewn with snow and ice that had me struggling to keep a mile under 20 minutes, felt like I was flying! I actually exclaimed out loud, “16:05??? Fuck yeah, let’s finish this up!”
“Big fucking deal,” you say.
To which I reply, “You’re right; it ain’t no big deal.” BUT! The mindset spoke volumes.
See, back in the summer and fall of 2021, I started riding pretty regularly again. Nothing too long, but 25 miles a few times a week. I had some good and bad rides, but very few great rides.
In fact, even the best of rides would have me entering the last mile with nothing on my mind but getting home and off the goddamn bike! To which I would then plop my sweaty ass on the Post Ride Garage Step of Crap Fitness Reflection and simultaneously hold back the want to cry, scream, and vomit. Good times, good times.
And as many of you may or may not know, winter arrived, and I then slipped into a funk that would last until March of 2022, when I forced myself back into the gym. It felt good to sweat again, and I was undoubtedly getting stronger, but the gym is not my “happy place.” Despite going almost daily, I lost no weight, looked like fucking shit, felt like shit, and was still eager for a long dirt nap.
This went on for six fucking months! Then, one day, a change back to previously prescribed medicine at my request to Mindbender II, The Wrath of Kahn1 started to work, and I found myself with the itch to get back outside doing stuff again. Only, I had NO desire to be on a bike. I know that sounds fucked up, and I still think it sounds fucked up, but here we are.
Being a lover of the outdoors, and a long-time woodsy photo creeper, hiking with my fitness being the primary motivation rather than a shitty photo of a bird became the priority [proceeds to post shitty bird photos]. Now here we are, almost 650 miles and seven months later, and I’m still hiking 5 to 7 days a week.
Anyway, the point of all this is that I can’t remember the last time I did a ride, entered the last mile, and said something even close to “Fuck yeah, let’s finish this up!” Followed by actually increasing my pace to the finish!
Again, you may read that and say, “Big fucking deal.” And I will once again point out that the change in my mindset from just wanting to get home to wanting to keep going is the most important thing to me; any potential weight loss or increased fitness is just a bonus.
I think I may have finally accepted that after nearly 30 years, I have moved on from cycling. I’m sure I will be on a bike again in the future, but right now, my lumbering and explorin’ on foot with my camera check all the boxes to help keep me happy, creative, and pushing myself physically. And when it doesn’t, I will find something else; it’s not a big deal.
The shitty bird pics in this post were taken last week on a post-hike photo creep around Meridian Park and on the Bird Stick in the Cul-De-Sac-Shack’s back yard.
Later.
THE SOILED SOUNDS TRACK ALBUM OF THE POST
Posting this whole album, because every song on this split 2017 LP is fucking legit! I only wish there was more information about it on the web. Cheers to Death Lens and Fake Tides for a fucking amazing COMPLETE indie album. Put it on repeat.
Track 2, Dream State is just amazing, amazing I say!!!