Cycling Update

I had a personal best today! For about 3 or 4 years now I have been trying to beat the time I did Salem Lake with my son Ben. On a hot summer day in 2002 Ben and I rode around the lake in 33:12. I was on an old road bike. No, really it was just a bike with a few gears and medium thin tires (compared to this "mountain bike.") After trying to better that time, I was really beginning to wonder if we ever did it that fast. In any case, today I had set out to just ride, and really wasn't going to try for a great time since it was 94 degrees F when I left the house. I just thought I would have a comfortable ride. Of course I would time myself, just so I would know. I started at a medium pace, and I thought I was enjoying the ride. I even tried to relax as I rode. So about halfway around, I looked at my watch and noticed that I was on a pretty good pace. I said, "Well, I'll just keep doing what I'm doing." And it really didn't seem that hot with all the shade on the trail. Then I thought, "It would be a real shame not to see what kind of time I can turn." In the past I would try to build momentum before the hills, which really makes no sense, because you lose that at the bottom. Today I relaxed and breathed more deeply than necessary before I reached the hill, and I think it paid off in that I had more wind for climbing. Long story short (or maybe its too late for that) but I finished the course in, yes, as you can see on my stopwatch 32:51.24! That is my personal best for getting around the lake on a bike! Needless to say, I was overjoyed, thankful, and glad that I still had energy to spare. Now I know that I won't do that well the next time, or certainly not every time, because it seems that we all have good days, and days that aren't quite as good. This has been a great day, and I am telling the whole world! Do you hear me world?