Grooooooannnnnnn

Let me be very honest here. I hurt today.

My muscles ache. My legs are heavy. I feel like death warmed over.

I ride. I ride hard. I ride a long way, sometimes up to 100 miles. My legs get tired. My body aches. But I love it.

I try to ride 6 days a week, taking Sundays off. I ride because I love it. I'm currently in training to ride my next century on September 11th. Antietam to Gettysburg and back. Seventy-four hundred feet of climb in 100 miles. Yes, it's going to be tough, but I can do it.

While not in training I probably put in about 100 miles plus per week. Nothing compared to the greats, who do that and more in one day. But for me, it's a lot of exercise.

But even riding so much doesn't give me these kind of aches and pains. You see, the reason I hurt so badly today is that yesterday was Thursday.

Thursday night is ball night. On most Thursday nights I go over to the church at about 9pm and I play basketball with the fellas. Full court, four on four, running up and down for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. It's so much fun. I love it.

Twenty years ago, I could play ball every night and not feel a thing. In fact, there were times when I did. Only several years before I got married I was playing on Friday nights and then again on Saturday mornings. No repercussions whatsoever.

Now that I'm 51-years old, it's not quite that easy.

The mind, which is still very strong and active, tells me it's ready. "Come on, man. Let's go! I want to run and jump and play and shoot!!"

My body, which is inextricably joined to my mind is not always quite as enthusiastic. It can't always deliver on what the mind says it wants. It does its best, but on Friday mornings it has a tough time rolling out of bed. The mind wants to get up and ride. The body wants to hit the snooze and roll over just one more time.

Don't worry, though. I'll be fine tomorrow. Just give my body a day to recover.

After all, it's not quite as young as it used to be.