:: If Only I Could Apply ::

:: for a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. but here was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, or a debt to be paid. then life would begin. at last it dawned on me that this was my life. this perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness. happiness is the way. ~ alfred d souza ::

:: One Second ::

:: fans may remember my april 1 post 'court date', about the 40km time trial down in carlisle. back then i didn't really fit into my skinsuit, and the best i could muster was a 68:03 (21.9 mph avg), and i vowed i'd be under an hour before the season was over. since then, i've done a few shorter tt's and watched my weight going down and average speed coming up. but thoughts of breaking an hour vanished after a 63:50 40km at pa states on monday. after persuasion that the carlisle course was faster, and i was probably still recovering from livestrong, i opted to give it another shot. a fitful 4.5 hours of sleep with drunkards outside my window, out of bed at 4am. donning the skinsuit (it fits! 17 lbs less tight) i had doubts. each 5km that went by i saw 15 seconds off my pace, seeing alot of 17-19 mphs and not many above the required 24.9 mph. turn around at 31:47. didn't help either that my only rabbit was a 4 man team just in front of me. still, only one had caught me, and i figured since i had to ride back to my car anyway, i might as well bury it. the next 5km was dead even with hour pace. at 30km i thought my oxygen deprived brain was tricking me, but i'd made up almost 45 seconds. i started seeing more 27-29 mphs with a nice long stint at 31.5. with 1km to go, sweat streaked my visor and i couldn't make out the time but knew it was close. crossed the line and conversed with a bush for a few minutes before heading back to check the time. one second. 59:59 ::