It took a while, but it’s all coming back now. It wasn’t easy to admit that the last few months, I really wasn’t looking forward to my Tuesday/Thursday-morning rides. Or I should say, I didn’t look forward to getting up early for them, and getting run into the ground on Kings. Once out there for a while, I always felt better, and never, ever, did I later feel like it would have been better to sleep in. It just took a bit of convincing.

But this morning was different. I was in control going up Kings, and by that I don’t mean fast, but that it was up to me to determine how gassed I felt. My heart rate responded linearly to my effort, and my lungs felt like they could deliver enough oxygen to allow me to feel the burn in your legs that tells you yes, you rode hard. If you wanted to. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that the scale shows my weight coming back down again. I like that too.

Cool? Yes, it was still cool up on top, but 46 degrees when you’re able to put out some effort doesn’t feel that bad. I’m looking forward to Thursday! Providing it doesn’t rain. I’m done with rain.