My conditioning has gotten better since the season started; that was our 9th game with one played each week. This was the ultimate test and I was forced to endure, though I reached limits of exhaustion many times, but recovered my wind in the second half as we sealed the game away. It was a good exercise and a healthy springboard into the playoffs.
I pray for my cycle to come as quickly as possible; I was e-mailed a shipping confirmation today and immediately tracked my order. It's on its way. The hope is that, with my continued war on beer and smoke, and 5 solid days of cycling, I can get into somewhat decent shape for the first, and hopefully second, playoff games.
Record: 5-4, 2nd seed, conference 2.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Day one
Bought a Schwinn Seneca today using 'Bill Me Later'; no payments for 90 days. I am broke, in debt, and without a driver's license until September. My beautiful girlfriend, Laura, agreed to split the cost of the 350$ cycle as part of my birthday gift. So, for 175$, to be payed in 3 months, I ordered an entry level road bike from sportsauthority.com.
The thing is a beast, obvious from just a glance at the inset. At a featherlight 31 lbs sporting an aluminum frame and, probably very crappy, Shimano breaks and gears, I am positive that this baby holds many good times in store.
Beggars can't be choosers and broke students might as well be beggars. Still, I am grateful at the opportunity at this brand new bike, department store or not, because many kids in shitty situations around the globe would murder for a machine as pretty as this.
The plan is to stop the beer and weed and focus more on my work, my studies, my fitness, and my relationships. The beer is done, the marijuana as well; cold turkey isn't hard at all once the proper mental foundation has been cultivated. I have cultivated this situation, finally, after many years of struggles.
The bike, the sport of cycling, is my ticket out. Out of the shit I've sunk myself into, out of the old person I used to be.
Even through the hell, I've managed to remain in decent shape, albeit nowhere near where I was nor where I will be shortly. The bike is coming in 5 to 7 days, they say, and I am already losing sleep in excitement, salivating at the thought of my first saddle-up. In 5-7 days my first 10 mile ride will come. I have been dragging my rusty mountain bike, with no breaks and fucked up gears, for the last week or so. A 4 mile ride barely brought a sweat-on. It's all about the pace.
Here I will maintain a record of my exploits, a log of my mileage, and whatever notes or pictures or observations or philosophies or setbacks I come across on my way towards Absolute Truth-- my Absolute Truth.
