Groundhog day....snow day....er, flu day....

The Groundhog saw his shadow today...or he didn't. I can't remember which actually happened, but they say that we are going to have an early Spring. Try explaining this ritual to someone from another country. It is not easy to explain to people why one of the most advanced countries in the world might rely on a groundhog to determine what kind of weather we will be having. Then again, you'd think we'd be a little bit better about predicting our weather using the technology we have. Some days, I think the groundhog is a better source.

So it was Groundhog's Day today, and it was also a flu day for our school. While my school actually had the flu last week, it seems that the rest of the school system caught up to us this week, and the superintendent called us off for today before we even left school on Thursday afternoon. We also had what they'd call a substantial snowfall for Kentucky today, so we would have probably had the day off anyway. Everyone was celebrating this yesterday at school. Quite frankly, I wasn't so excited.

In Michigan, we build snow days into our schedule. They anticipate that we'll have to take several days off for snow every year, so they just build them right in. At the end of the school year, we just end the school year. In Kentucky, we don't do this. Every day we miss in the winter months has to be made up in the merry month of May. So, as of yesterday at 2:28, I was going to be on summer vacation starting May 19th. As of yesterday at 2:35, I am going to be on summer vacation starting May 20th. I've got my fingers crossed that I we don't have too many more of these days. I'd much rather be out when the weather is nice.

I did use the day wisely, though. I spent a large chunk of the morning (3 hours) working on filing my taxes. This August was my second move in two years, and I am still working on selling my house, so I had bunches and bunches to deal with. I came out on top, although the money has already been spent.

90 minute trainer spin
I read an article online today that you ought not ride your trainer for longer than 60 minutes at a stretch for fear of burnout. Bwah, hah, hah. Yeah, right. I'm going to be getting on the bike this spring with my ass in 60 mile shape, and that takes more than an hour on the trainer. I also feel like having a day off like this is a gift that can't be overlooked or wasted on a short ride.

Endurance training takes time. One of the challenges is getting to the point where you are actually building endurance. I've often hit the 12th mile of an 18 mile run and wanted to quit, but I know that the benefits aren't there until miles 13-18, and I don't get a chance to run 18 miles at one stretch very often, so I better keep right on running. Same thing with biking.

On blogging
Just have to throw this out to the universe. I have two blogs that I used to visit pretty regularly. One is written by a friend I used to know (that's the best way I know to say that we've lost touch and taken two very different paths in our lives), and one is written by a person I almost got to know (someone I met through my tri team when I lived in South Bend). For a long while, I was really enjoying reading their blogs because it felt like I was getting to keep up with their lives. Now and again, I'd read something in their blogs that would make me think a little differently about something. Honestly, though, I've now quit visiting both and both for the same reason.

For both of them, they've almost veered away from what their blog started out being and become these internet philosophers. Neither of their blogs are any longer filled with the everyday that is really what's interesting to me, but they are all these philosophical rantings/musings that almost make me feel like I'm reading something much more pretentious than I'm interested in. I guess this is a criticism, in a way, but with both of these "friends", I have this feeling that the almost cult-like internet following of their blogs has gotten to their heads, and...well, I guess I haven't really developed these thoughts yet.

But let me just say this. Every training ride doesn't have some greater philosophical basis or lead me to some sort of a breakthrough moment. Some days, my ass just hurts. And that's what it boils down to.

Now and again, I wonder if anyone is reading this, but it's okay if I'm the only one. It just feels good to be writing again. And for that matter, if I get too philosophical for my own bike britches, drop me a note. I need my bike britches to fit.