The powers that be schedule Spring Break for a reason, I’ve never felt the need for it more than this year… I need to find a wrinkle in time over the next few days to complete all the assignments I have due this week. It’ll happen, but there’s going to be a lot of blood, sweat and tears to make it so.

Luckily, I have my rides to look forward to, I’ve been making regular trips out East. It takes about a half hour to get out of the metropolitan areas, but then it’s rolling hills and ranches. A couple of hours to admire the view and let my mind wander. No worrying about papers, creativity, and deadlines. I feel like a Mastercard commercial…three hours free from commitment…priceless.

I did have a run-in with a few country dogs Wednesday. A blue heeler took off right when it saw me, ducked under the barbed wire fence and I reached for my water bottle, but it stopped at what I assume to be the property line. Yesterday I took a 37 mile ride and added a few local commutes to reach 50 miles for the day. Today I rode with the team for 58 miles. I’ve logged 403 training miles to date. Since I purchased my cyclocomputer last friday, I’ve almost hit 200 miles.

Even after several applications of sun block, I’m beginning to realize that the tan lines I’ll wear this summer will rival those from my softball tournament days in high school. As Patrick says, I’ll be wearing two swimsuits this summer. Here are a couple of pics from today’s ride.