Today I “slept in” until 7:30am… wow, lame. I didn’t set an alarm last night, and this was going to be the first morning all summer that I didn’t HAVE to wake up at a certain time to go to a scheduled workout. I guess I’m so used to waking up at 5:15 or 6:00 that it isn’t going to get much later than that… oh well.

After a lazy breakfast and some reading, I went out for a nice ride around Boone and Blowing Rock. It brought back so many memories of when I just started riding my bike. Lots of memories chasing Ben everywhere… literally. I’d chase him up climbs, down twisty descents, on flats (the few that are around here). It brought back memories of the Wednesday Night Ride from Magic Cycles (”Wednesday Worlds” we called it). And, it brought back memories of many solo rides by myself… just plugging away up the roads, like I had something to prove.

I love being here. I feel so at home. This place will always be special to me no matter where life takes me. I’ve always been able to “find” myself here, no matter how lost I may feel at the time. It’s really refreshing and helps break up the monotony that you can find yourself in sometimes, without realizing it.

After a short transition run, I’m ready for a shower and some lunch. We’re going to spend the afternoon on Lake James… a good time to get an open water swim in, if I feel like it.