So here I am about 2 months back in to riding again and very proud of having brought my decade old Giant OCR3 out from under it's thick cover of dust and cobwebs after a 9+ year hibernation period in our backyard shed to get it "Ride-Able" with two new tubes, new chain, new front derailleur and bars re-wrapped (as the old wrapping was all but turned to dust) and then bringing it into it's current "Better Than New Condition" that it's in today with the addition of a Specialized Romin Evo Seat, Padrone Speedo/Odo, Clipless Pedals and a great USB rechargeable Lighting System....and Fantastic!...Good To Go!....
and finally...all set and ready to commute too work!
So...I got my work clothes and shoes all packed up in my backpack....cycling clothes all laid out.....set my alarm 1 1/2 hours earlier than normal..hit the sack earlier than normal and miraculously?...I actually woke up too my 4:45am alarm!
Still bleary eyed?...I stumbled to my PC to check the weather radar loop and great!....All Clear!
Next?...I raced out the front door to check the temps and Perfect!...with just a light breeze!...as I thought...
"FINALLY!...IT'S A GO!!!...AND THIS IS GOING TO BE SO COOL!...MY FIRST BIG 11 MILE COMMUTE TOO WORK!"
So into the shower I raced letting the hot water massage and sooth my old bones and muscles...what a warm up!...and with pleasant thoughts of how shocked and surprised my friends and coworkers will be when they see me show up on my bike!
But then as I was drying off?...it hit me....as I thought...WAIT!!!
as "the negative list" began to form in my mind starting with...
1. 11 Miles is "THE MAX" I've ridden so far...and that WASN'T with a 12-15lb pack on my back...I don't even know what that feels like!
and?...
2. I wonder how I'm going to feel after 10 hours of work and having yet ANOTHER 11 miles to do in one day?...cause I've never done that before either!
and then?..."The Clincher"...that ended my short lived dream and glory...
3. While it's early enough this morning to enjoy sparse traffic on the ride in?....the ride home is going to be a death defying feat...Friday....Coming Home From Work....Rush Hour Traffic....with the last 2 miles of it being a crunchy two lane road through a drug thug hood loaded with stoned folks in Boom Boom Bubble Cars with fart can exhausts in a hurry to get home to party some more.
and that's when the gloomy reality of it all swept over me...is it really worth risking it all?....am I even really "Ready" for this yet?...and I didn't like the answers I gave myself...as I then hung my cycling clothes back up and drug my work clothes out of the backpack and threw on a pot of coffee as I loaded and rolled my motorcycle out of the garage and apologizing to my bike as I sadly walked by.
Then spent the day at work depressed and wondering...
did I Chicken Out or Owl Out?
That's the question.
