Aging

There are days when I feel old. It happens when I just can't remember where I placed that roll of electrician's tape I was using. Or when I set down a tool I know I'll need in a place that will be obvious--only to find that it wasn't obvious and I can't find the tool. I feel old when I can't seem to get my weight down to my pre-Christmas holiday weight.

Today, a friend turned 34 years old. He rides bikes, like I do, but also does other things... like running and swimming--sometimes in the same race! Being the benevolent friend that I am, though, I try and look past those faults and just try and get him on his bike as often as possible.

But today, to celebrate his birthday, we decided to go for a ride. Ideally, we wanted to do 34 miles, but since neither of us are very fast, and it was meant to be just a lunch-time activity, we decided to stick to 34 kilometers (~21.13 miles).

The weather today was cooler and much, MUCH more windy than it has been lately, but we were sticking it to old age! We weren't about to crawl back to our desks! Off we went, into the wind. Well, actually, we first started at a nice fast pace with our BACKS to the wind. But, darn it, even at 34 we turned around at around 10.5 miles and came back the way we left.

The wind was stiff, but surprisingly enough, we kept up a fast pace and even managed to, with the help of a stoplight, reel in a couple of riders decked out in a local team kit.

How do you correctly pass another year of age? Riding, of course. Was there really any question? Today, I didn't feel old. Neither did my friend, I think. Happy birthday.