Uphill/Downhill

I thought that during my bike ride today I had come up with such great ideas for my post. It turned out that they were just a result of oxygen deprivation. Regardless, I want to see what I can do with this uphill/downhill thing. Two apparently opposite words with apparent meanings and yet as I think it through, they are not as opposite as we think, and/or their literal meanings have little consequence other then from the particular perspective we see them, or the context we put them in. Let me give you a scenario to support. Who has not gone to see a friend in hospital after surgery and in an effort to cheer him up about the future made the statement...."buck up Joe. it's all down hill from here" Then later when we reported his condition to others made the statement "I seen Joe today. Man has he ever gone downhill" Or how about the most common reference to "downhill from here", the one that implies life is coming to an end. But isn't down hill supposed to be fun? And fast? Fast is supposed to be good as well because "time flies when we're having fun" doesnt it. So it's seems obvious to me that we use these 2 words loosely and indescrimanately to justify however we see the current situation. And trust me, it's all perception and nothing else, and I say to you that we dont even know whether we are actually going uphill or downhill, or which is good or bad. I have decided that for me personally, I will continue to use them indescrimimately, but both words are going to mean good things in all instances. To further describe the potentail they have for interchangeability consider this. If you're out for a bike ride, and your feeling grateful that your trip is exceptionally flat, remember this. The earth is considered by most rational people to be round!!! hmmmmm?

Anyway thats all the philosophy I have for today. On to a bike ride report. I did it as promised. One hundred and twenty five(125) kilometers. Four hours, twenty six minutes and 13 seconds for an average sped of 28.2 k/hour. I am very, very satisfied with my effort, and my results. Quite frankly I am pleaseantly surprised with the speed of my progress recently. I'm gonna credit Mary's angels a little. What do you think? There was one dicey moment during the ride however, and came of what is an inherent problem with doing laps like I did today. While the great advantage is that you are never far from home in case of equipment problems or such, it is also it's weakness in that it its easy to compromise your commitment. The moment came when I was at 94 kilometres, and to be home in 4 minutes I would simply have been able to turn right, while a left turn meant another 31K. After a brief moment of longing, I said screw it and turned left....after all I knew it was all downhill from there.

My new gear was a major success. It was 3 degrees when I headed out at 9 this morning and I was dressed perfectly. I still have other layers to add once the cold really starts. As well, my new 200 dollar saddle was a major improvement, which should continue to get even better once it is broken in, or rather when my ass is broken in to it

Yes indeed the bike in yesterdays post says Q-Roo on the side of it, short for Quintana Roo. Quintana Roo is a state of Mexico, and without knowing for a fact I assume this company was founded there. All of the bike models are identified with Spanish names, and the one you see in the picture is called Caliente which means hot! The problem I'm having so far is to find a dealer not too far away, but I will because this bike really makes my hair blow back!

Also, and because for some reason I seem to need to come back to this I want to add a further comment about the concept of "insides on the outsides" and the feeling of vulnerably that tends to come along with it. I admit to some struggles with this myself as there are times I think to myself, what are people thinking about when they read such very personal things like my struggles with depression, or my challenges around the Jon thing? This is after all an open blog and I have invited several people to view it, including family, friends, piers and even my bosses. I tell you that I feel that vulnerability, and yet do not intend to change anything. Everyone has hung with me and the very least I owe you is my openess and honesty. If it is too much for anyone, and makes you think me a different person than who you thought I was, then I know that was exclusively my fault for any masks I may have worn. I'm sorry


Despite what i describe to you about my apprehesnions there is one area in which I have come to the point of feeling confident about myself again, and that's in front of a camera. I have not just one, but two pictures to share with you. The first is a link you need to follow which will take you to a pic of me before my bike ride, and the other is after todays 125K.

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc235/kycolb/DSC04391.jpg

These 2 pics make a statement to me of the strength of the human spirit, and I don't mean mine. Those 2 beautiful ladies in pic one are only an example of the incredible people in my life, who despite my efforts, simply refused to let me slip quietly away. I hope my smile in pic 2 tells you how immensely grateful I am, as no words would be able to do

Lastly, for those of you who are not convinced of the spherical nature of mother earth, may you not find the edge unexpectedly!

I wish to dedicate day 18 to Roos beautiful neice Megan, who has a much tougher row to hoe then I ever did. Please pray for her as she starts a long recover from major brain surgery. Go Megan!

"Better to wear out, than to rust away"

love peter