t-5 days...

until the BIG TEN ride of 2012! if only "ten" referred to number of miles... then i'd be golden. :)

2012 really has flown by; i don't know how this has happened. i don't feel nearly as ready for my ride this year as i did last year, and i'm not sure why that is... i've been on training rides, but perhaps not as many "long" (60+ miles) rides as last year. which makes me quite apprehensive for the upcoming weekend... but i guess it's a little too late to be worrying about it now, seeing as how more training now would definitely NOT help.

the one thing i will say about all this cycling that i've really grown to love (ok, maybe more than one) is that i feel like i'm in the best shape of my life, and it's opened up the opportunity for me to meet so many new and different people. granted, part of that is participating in the AV200, but when you're out on a training ride, or in my case, just recently DONE with a ride and still walking around in your jersey... people inevitably stop and ask questions, especially if they're also riders (i would not be so bold to say that i'm a "cyclist"... not yet. i think i need a few thousand more miles under my belt. that and perhaps averaging more than 15mph.)

i suppose those things are nothing unique to any hobby -- but i guess it's taken me 28 years to engage in a hobby that is more communal in nature... what can i say, i'm a loner at heart! (yes yes, i know many of you disagree. and by many, i mean YOU, my one loyal reader) but now that the reality of actually growing old by myself looms upon me (30 is old-ish, guys!) i'm glad i've finally found some way of meeting people besides hoping to talk to that cute guy sitting by himself in the coffeeshop (this has never happened, i swear) or trying to engage in conversation with somebody at a bar, even if i'm not drinking (this is extremely difficult), or even (gasp) meeting people ONLINE (i definitely don't do that. ;))

so yes. i am happy to have taken up cycling in my older age. i don't know how this post got to be so introspective... it was initially just going to be about how terrified i am of next week (i still am). oh right - and how i have NO room to be complaining about a mere 200 miles. i recently met someone climbing (ooh - another hobby that has introduced me to some interesting peeps!) who rode from portland, ME to santa barbara, CA in 71 days for bikeandbuild.org... where they bike across the country and on "rest days", you help build a house with organizations like Habitat... now THAT'S impressive... and something i can aspire to do. right. so in comparison... 200 miles? that's nothing. totally doable.

anyhow, i digress. it is now, in fact more like 5 hours before the ride, and as usual, i'm having trouble sleeping. i keep thinking i'm forgetting something...

in any case, i shall be updating peeps along the way over twitter and/or facebook... feel free to keep me entertained with comments! (how did i ever live without a smartphone?!) see you on the flip side of 200 (hopefully) and i'll let you know if i overcame the mental challenges of this year's ride! :)