Thursday, August 25, 2011

Lesson in Futility

Is there such a thing?
When making a futile effort, does one really learn a lesson?
I mean it doesn't seem to keep me from going there and trying again.
No matter how bad it was.
Like my ride today I mean.
I knew I was in trouble when I had to stop to check the rear wheel.
No really.
I mean I joke about checking my wheel to see if something is rubbing back there, but today it was for real.
I stopped on the side of the road about a mile out to see if it was spinning free.
Boy was I disappointed when I found it was.
That means it was me.
If you've been following along at home you, the reader know that I've been pushing a larger gear on my rides; an attempt to get faster and stronger.
If that's even possible cause I'm really fast don't you know.
Well what felt pretty good the other day felt pretty bad today.
I just couldn't' get it going.
The clickity creak clickity came back too.
I'm pretty sure it's the chain, so I'll be looking to change that out soon.
Anyways back to my ride.
It was one of those days when I just couldn't find a nice position, my body felt all goofy and my legs although still turning the pedals over were flying all over the place.
My bars were too close and my seat was too low and my bicycle felt like it was made out of solid lead.
That's Pb for you chemistry types.
Solid Pb.
If you know what I mean.
Well I checked my top tube and it was still hollow, I just wanted to make sure some kind of alchemy miracle didn't happen like over night while I was sleeping.
Like maybe the Pb Fairy came by and sprinkled Pb pixie dust all over my bicycle.
Or something.
Usually on this kind of day, my legs come back around mile ten or so and everything is okay after that.
Not today, oh no.
Today it just got worse.
I felt like I was going like 18 mph or so but when I looked down, it was only like 14.
So I pedaled harder and managed to get it up to 14.5.
Wow.
That made me sort of depressed.
Maybe today was one of those days when I should have left the computer in my back pocket.
Or maybe even at home.
Hell I should have left my bicycle at home.
I should have stayed home!
Law & Order was on.
Well okay, it wasn't a complete futile effort.
I mean I did get some miles in and I did get my cream soda.
My ride was fairly noise free for the first five miles or so until my bicycle got the hiccups.
The 15 mph average still eludes me though, like sand in my open hand.
I can hold it, but only for so long.
I guess the main thing was that I was out there, not sucking down potato chips and laying on the couch.
I'll be doing that later.
Both sucking down potato chips and laying on the couch I mean.
Still it's hard to feel good about a day like this.
It sort of makes me want to get back out.
Like right now!
Right now!
Get myself another lesson in futility.
Or maybe teach futility a lesson.
If you know what I mean.



If you squint your eyeballs, you can see me in that video.
Okay, not really.

3 comments:

John Romeo Alpha said...

That bike computer needs to display total pedal revolutions (TPR). This ride, you had like 4500 TPR! Going for 4600 next time! Or else a flexible velocity units system, where you can choose your own numerator and denominator: furlongs per quarter-hour, decimeters per lunar month. Keep it interesting. Thanks for the Chumba.

johnnytrashbike said...

i've thought about getting a computer. but i think it would just get in my head like this.

limom said...

JRA, it should have a maximun level of exertion thingy.
Or maybe a happy meter.
Or something.

jtb, bicycle computers: the devil's invention.

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