The Residual Sugar

I've never done leisure particularly well. I've always equated leisure with doing nothing, and doing nothing sounds like... doing nothing. Life is measured by activity. If your entire life is defined by laying around like a spud, well, you might be happy but where are the high points? "Oh that day of laying around in May last year, that was a day to remember!" "Last Monday's sitting on my ass all day, that was the sitting on my ass of a lifetime!" I don't think so.
So it was with some surprise I found myself laying around by a pool at a spa in Calistoga last Friday. Carolyn and Anne were getting mud baths and despite Calistoga having an awesome bike shop, it was just far enough away to not make it worth walking to visit. So there I was laying in the sun. I read for a bit. I applied more sunscreen. Read some more. Watched the people floating in the pool. It was all very mellow. There were no screaming kids or dogs running around. Polite quiet conversa…

Last Sunday was the 24th running of the Mudslinger down in Blodget. I show up largely out of habit. It's not a race I usually do well in. I'm not a good mud racer. It's early in the season, I don't have the miles in, blah, blah, blah.  Years worth of excuses. Suffice to say, I wasn't expecting much this year. The weather was awful. It was cold - snowing a bit when I got there. I threw on every layer I had and even strapped on a front fender which in the eyes of the racing style police is only slightly less tacky than tassels on your handlebar grips. Standing there in the rain, waiting for my wave to go off, I gradually shook off my attitude, relaxed and when the countdown reached zero, I clipped in and rolled.
It was the best race I've had in ages. Really.
It was the best for a few reasons. I didn't totally suck. I finished 8th out of 21 in my bracket. I didn't make any huge mistakes. I probably won't be sponsored any time soon but it was nice to be i…