In the shadow boy meets man

I am between jobs. Not in the way that an actor is always between jobs, and I suppose technically (as mini Mendip Rouleur says) I am not really between jobs as I am still employed by my  outgoing employer. I am technically on holiday, although I am looking forward to going back, if you can go back to somewhere you have never been before, to work. I shall of course be very busy, but I imagine that I will have a narrower focus of activity than I have had this week.

Unlike the actors (again) I have not been resting. Somehow, what was supposed to be a break, has turned into an action-packed, event-filled, travelling one-man circus. Of the round and round variety, maximus tempus. Or something like that. Although I played football again on Monday night, for the third week in a row, and I'm actually remembering how to play the game, I still came out of it with the trapped nerve in lower back thing. So I've got a choice to make.

And I found out, amongst other similar statistics, that my VO2 max is in the top decile of men my age, and about half that of he who must not be named, at least when the latter was in his "prime". I am not taking EPO, but my cardiac and lung efficiency are considered pretty good.

I'm not going to bore you any more. But with the fabulous weather, and me not at work, I needed to squeeze in a proper ride somewhere along the line. So when I got home today at about 4.45PM, I figured I had around two hours of daylight left. Being the KoF, I wasn't off the ramp and onto the course until 5.15, so much of the ride took place in twilight, and some of it in darkness.

Fortunately I had lights to see with as well as be seen, but it made the descent of Burrington Coombe interesting, not least for the traffic in front of me that wouldn't get out of my way after the second cattle grid. A first: I went all the way down Old Bristol Hill without braking or pedalling, until again being held up by traffic which was going slower than me.

I'd like to think that's why I was so slow, that and the fact that my back was hurting every time I got out of the saddle. But that isn't the truth, and we all know how important the truth is don't we children. I was dawdling, and tired, and probably a bit overtrained. So I'm going to do one easy ride on Friday, then have a bit of a rest. And start a new job and all the other stuff I have to do. Or maybe not.

I also went and watched my son play rugby today. They are only 11 but already some of the tackling is bordering on the ferocious, and (don't tell Mrs MR) they had a few walking wounded today as well. So are rugby players harder than cyclists? A different kind of toughness, but I think there may be something in this. I was watching "Chasing Legends" again this week, and the great Jens is in it, as well as some other blokes blathering on about suffering being the essence of greatness. Is that the truth, and if so should we encourage that?

It's a grey area, much like some of the shadows that I was in during the last few miles. Truth? You never know at the time, that's all I'll say, you need perspective and hindsight I think. If you are so certain of any kind of truth, I think that puts you into psychotic territory, either that or very, very selfish. Or perhaps both.


http://connect.garmin.com/activity/117773332

http://ridewithgps.com/trips/405519