The Bird is Back!

Monday RUN 3 miles with LA (I've already mentioned this)
COMMUTE 7 miles on the Bird!

Puppy is in the shop at REI, with the estimate being another week before he's ready. So this finally got me to fix up Bird for some commuting time. Bird has been on a trainer since......2013? I had it set up in the Compton house, and I think it was on a trainer since before that. Last race was 2011 Savageman. But earlier this year (oh gosh, was it last fall?) I put about $300 into fixing Bird - chain, cassette, cables - and planned to ride more. But back on the trainer, with the main excuse being "I don't have tires, I'd have to buy them". Ironically, I bought a trainer tire though. 

I found an old Bontrager 23mm tire in the basement. The first tire was old and stiff and I couldn't get the bead to seat on the rim. The one I ended up using has a race look to it, so it won't be good for rain. Excuses. It's not raining!

Bird was set up and ready to test yesterday, but I was too off/sick/ketoflu? to take him out for the needed test ride. Today ended up being the test. I forgot how long the wheelbase is! How cumbersome the front end. How harsh the road tires hit a bump. How the Shimano shifters contrast with the SRAMs. And - how much I loved this bike.

The change in habit from riding Puppy to Bird is amazing, I was conscious of every bump and turn and shift and brake. It feels like Different Day.

The seat is too low, and dips too far in the front. My hands got tired from I don't know what. And I felt a little silly as I didn't dress proper and felt like a fool a bit. I might take the aerobars off, but I'm lazy and there's only a few more weeks outdoors before back to the trainer. 

I'm also very conscious of the fact that the MiTi2014 anniversary is soon. I thought it might be the 14th, but I just checked an it's the 24th. All morning, my mind kept jumping to MiTi. I even by total coincidence wore the race shirt on the run today. Something is pulling me back to that race in my mind and memory. Explore it? 

My to do list includes redoing the dry erase board in the basement. It's now a year old -with PT exercises and H100 goals. Time to put some new goals up.