Things That Keep Me Awake at Night

It was a restless night last night. I couldn't sleep because I had 'cross on the brain. My mind insisted on going over and over every aspect of the race scene from Saturday: the people that I talked to, the people I wish I could have talked to more, the sights, the sounds, the smells, and of course my brain was trying to figure out that crazy race course. So many twists and turns--such an obstacle course. I spent a fair amount of time thinking about why that course didn't scare the holy begeebers out of me! What I decided is that I must have just turned off my brain and let my body do what it knows how to do: ride a bike and protect itself.

My body did a great job a protecting itself during the race- I only almost laid the bike over once. I went around a turn a little too fast and the bike slid out. I tipped, put my hand down, caught myself, and continued racing. I figure that's where I must have gotten this sore bruise on my right inner thigh.

I also thought about the mistakes I made that day. I could have pushed harder. But since it was my first race, and I had no intention on doing anything other than trying it out for fun, I didn't put in my best effort. I also could use some practice with getting on and off the bike without stopping. There was one time when it actually took me FOUR tries at getting clipped back in and going, and that lost a lot of time for me.

And of course I thought a lot about getting a 'cross bike of my own. People ask me, "Why not just get a mountain bike?" My answer is that the only reason I would mountain bike is to practice for 'cross. From what I've seen, a 'cross bike can go pretty much anywhere a mountain bike can go. Besides, a 'cross bike is sexier. Plus, I have a mountain bike that I don't ride much. I think I would ride a 'cross bike more. The real question is: Do I really need another bike? Probably not right now. Maybe next year.

Moving on and switching subjects. I usually teach a mid-morning Spinning class. It is rather standard to generalize the mid-morning gym crowd into the classification of "soccer moms." But the people in my classes are so much more than that to me. I have been able to spend time talking to some of the people who ride in my classes, and have learned much about them and their lives. Here is a short list of some of the awesome people from my classes:

• A rather famous Utah artist
• A soldier who visits my class when he's on leave from Afghanistan
• A runner with a fractured foot
  
• A mother whose 7-year old was just diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes over the weekend
• A city council member
• A cultural anthropologist
• A home schooling student
  
• A pipe organ designer/builder
• A young lady recovering from being smashed in between two cars
• A publisher of a magazine
  
• A lawyer
• A housekeeper
• A surgeon
  
• A gang-unit prison guard
• A man whose voice is behind many audio books
• Several people recovering from knee injuries/surgeries
  
• Many triathletes
  

The list could go on and on. Each one of the people who attend my classes are unique and special in their own ways. They are all great!