So that's like from here to ...

I rode 100 miles on Saturday. 100. Wow.

So that's like from Starkville, to Meridian. Or from here to the Mercedes plant in Alabama. Or here to Columbus - and back - twice. Wow.

It wasn't such a big deal until after I did it. Now I keep thinking about all the things that are 100 miles apart.

Like last year and this year.

Consumption

Consumption seems to be a word that fits my life right now. My time is consumed by biking. I'm amazed at the amount of "fuel" (Power Bars, Power Gels, bananas, granola bars, gatorade) that I consume each week to keep my legs spinning. Some days, I am consumed by thoughts of cancer. I wonder how much gasoline I can keep from consuming this year by choosing to ride my bike instead.

The Tahoe ride is the major consumer right now. I can't wait. This will be the longest, most beautiful bike ride I've ever done. The fact that it is in the mountains is just icing. Add to that that Dawn and Katherine will be there. Add to it that it's a road trip with Zach. Sprinkle in a side trip to the Grand Canyon and the Meteor Crater site. Toss in a short ride in the desert - just to stretch my legs. Maybe a jump in the frigid lake when we get there. Top it off with a screaming descent after cranking up Spooner. It doesn't happen often to me, but I might just be speechless after that ride. Or I may never quit talking.

Ah, life!

What's up? The mileage. I'm on course for this to be my first 200-mile week. It's strange that my weekday "maintenance rides" are now longer than my long weekend ride 2 months ago. Probably the most difficult part now is just trying to figure out how to get the miles in. I turned in a leave request form today to leave work at 3:00 every Tuesday and Thursday for the rest of the month. I have to decide which weekend day to dedicate to the ride, as from here out, it's pretty much 5-7 hours on the bike, not including travel to and from wherever I'm riding, time to pack, time to shower, etc. The logistics are getting fun, too. I have to figure out routes that will put me near places to refill water bottles and restock food as necessary. The days of a quick 10-mile ride are long gone. I don't know that I'll see an under-30-mile ride between now and Tahoe. Oh yeah, and somewhere in there is my family, my job, yard work, sleep, ... I'm glad I chose the training schedule that is less likely to cause burnout. *whew*

Not that I'm complaining. I've said it before - it feels good to feel good again. It feels good to be on the last hole of my belt. The last time I hit the last hole, it was the one on the other end.

We spent last weekend in Nashville. Katherine ran in the Country Music Half Marathon and kicked major butt. She knocked 17 minutes off her last 1/2 marathon. Not bad.

I met a guy last night (on the phone) who was just diagnosed with the Hodge. During the conversation, it just felt strange to be on "this end" of it. Hearing him talk about the diagnosis, treatments, etc. brought me back to last year. My first chemo treatment was April 27.