New Threshold

Just as 40 something is the new 30, 176lbs is my new 168lbs. We all have secondary thresholds of convenience right? I encountered this young buck on the descent of my lunch time training ride. His eyes popped as they saw this new 30 something MAMIL flying at him....

Putting the brakes on devouring calories while training is about as easy as braking around a corner with a 12 degree pitch at 15mph. Don't forget the serrated asphalt and loose leaf dust either.  For a split second I locked my back wheel and it started to slide. Eye to eye with the buck I could only think of the countless deer encounters my friends and I have had with these guys. Sliding under it was not on my bucket list, but if I held onto that rear brake any longer I would have a choice to make. Slide, or bail. Luckily, he flinched first. Confirmation of my weight of course. I'm sure if I was at 168lbs he would have charged me instead.Just the same, no hard feelings. I slowly rolled over along the fence he ran behind and snapped his mugshot for the record.

I keep saying "If I can only reach my ideal weight" I'll turn pro. Joking of course. But I'm riding further and faster, more than I ever did. As my buddy Ed puts it, I'm basically kicking my younger self in the a$$ every time I go out there. Heck I'm even wearing a backpack of which is my biggest pet peeve. Lugging a 5-10 pound backpack over 25+ miles is something I don't wish on anyone, especially myself. But I do it anyways. The new threshold strikes again. 

I suppose with the weather changing, I'll have new thresholds to question. Do I ride if it's raining? Do I ride if it's below 34 degrees? I gotta tell you, if it's snowing here ever...I have to ride through it. Just to say I did it. I may wear full armor that day to prepare for the slips and falls but hey, if I can ride with a backpack I can do that too. 

Today's lunch ride included 1,600 feet of climbing, headwinds. 10 miles of distance, and completed in sub one hour. Earlier in the year the same ride would have taken me over an hour. Mentally, it was still a struggle. However, as long as my outdoor animal buddies are out there, keeping me on my toes, I'm ready for anything. But if I could just commit to one less gallon of ice cream a week. One less gallon of Dutch Chocolate and Vanilla that soothes the soul. Maybe then, I can race that buck up the hill and own the PR. Until then, I'm going to eat some ice cream as I day dream what it would be like to roll with the Pros.