So Much To Do

    I have had a few doubts about my ability to do the challenge I have set before me. It is hard to devote so much time and energy to something that I know will be long, painful, and exhausting in the extreme. But at the same time, I am really digging the difficulty and challenge of it all. I do think I have more than a little trace of masochism running through my veins. Yesterday I set out on my long ride of the week. I set my sights on 70 miles, which is what I had planned on doing last week, but maps lied and my right knee was being bitchy. I know how many miles it is from Mulino through Oregon City to Canby so I decided to add distance to that route. It is a favorite route of mine, I love hill climbing much more than the tedium of cranking a decent cadence in a high gear on endless sections of asphalt. I started from my house and headed across country roads instead of heading straight north on highway 213, thus avoiding log trucks, dump trucks and semis on narrow road with no shoulder. True, I was on narrow roads with no shoulders, but far less traffic. The only close shave I had was grinding uphill on a blind S-curve when a truck hauling a flatbed with a tractor and disc came up behind me. He was careful though, and missed me by several feet. I watched the flashing "Wide Load" sign disappear around the curve with no damage to me except for a slightly elevated heart rate.
The ride was great. My legs felt fabulous. Once in a while my left knee would start whining but I would tell it, "None of that," and it stopped. The main discomfort I had was in my hands and wrists, which has galvanized my desire to install the ergo bars I bought a few months back. I need a different stem to mount them, so this week I will make a trip to a bike shop for a stem, handlebar tape, and maybe some gel gloves. The other problem I am having is with my feet, they really start to hurt after a bit. I did manage to lengthen my confort zone considerably with the addition of some $3 gel insoles that only pad the ball of the foot. I was 65 miles into teh ride before I got seriously uncomfortable. This has made me decide I need the next size up in shoes, so I am on the hunt. Sadly, add the word "triathlon" to any pair of Shimano cycling shoes and the price nearly doubles. Damn it anyway.
    I have a list of necessary gear that must be bought soon: stem, handlebar tape, gel gloves, cycling shoes, running shoes, socks, racing tires. Not a long list, and not particularly expensive, but I am the budget triathlete, every penny counts.
   High on the list of expenditures is a bike tune-up. I need to have this done so I am not wasting valuable energy fighting against my beloved bike. I don't know if I am losing watts to a mucked up crank, or goobered wheel bearings, but I can't afford to waste any energy. The downside, I can't afford to have any time away from my bike, and I imagine that I will have to leave him with a mechanic for a several days at the very least, and that just isn't acceptable. This will be a question for the bike shop when I go in for my stem.
    It is getting down to the wire, just over two months remaining until my day of judgement, and there is so much to think over, get taken care of, and spend money on. I get little twitchy attacks of nerves now and then at the enormity of it all. I wish I had a manager to handle all the details so I could just focus on the training. While I am wishing, I wish I had a coach, a masseuse, a cook, and a housekeeper. And while I'm at it, a sponsor, so I could take 6 months off to train with no other distractions. Oh well, I have no one but me, so I need to just keep forging ahead.