a cyclist's dilemma

I got rained on yesterday - for the first time this summer.
It wasn't even heavy rain, and lasted a mere 5 minutes. But lacking a front fender, my legs were instantly covered in beads of water, raising goosebumps on my unevenly tanned appendages.
It was the first time, in a while, that I was sort of uncomfortable on my bike. And between dodging puddles and eyeing the overcast sky, I was actually thankful that I had a run scheduled yesterday afternoon, and no ride.
As much as I'd love to move to Seattle, sometimes I wonder how much riding I'd get in if I actually did.

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The nicer weather's definitely been spoiling me. Rain shouldn't even be a problem, just sort of messy. There's no ice or snow involved, no layers and layers of clothing to stay warm, no feeling as if I'm pedaling with all my might but not moving. But I'm still trying to dodge the outdoors, and using gyming, errands, and overdue hat orders as excuses to stay inside.
Lame, I know. I mean, I know. The worst part is that gymming is just...so much easier. Running indoors on a treadmill at a gym conveniently located on my way home from work takes no psychological effort. On the other hand, planning a route, making sure I have everything I need [tubes, pump, energy bar, water, etc.] for a ride, then actually throwing down even a so-so number of miles is much more mentally straining. And when it's wet, humid, and rainy out, motivation conveniently slips away and is nowhere to be found.

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I'm running again today [the guilt!]. But only because tomorrow morning looks like it's going to be clear. And that means a real bike ride.
Faux-roadie-proseur weekend, here I come!

salty

Any delusions I may have had concerning that elusive concept of "free time" are slowly melting away. What I seem to be left with is a big, dirty, slushy mess of new deadlines, more work, days I'll be "on call" in class, meetings, and that ever-persistent feeling of guilt I get when my nose isn't buried in a book.
I'm feeling as worn out and salty as the bike that's sitting out in my hallway, drying off. Yeah, I've been neglecting it.

I know I shouldn't and I know I have to wipe it down, lube the chain, and clean the damn rims, but for now, the pile of papers and books and the possibility of falling behind in my work intimidate me more. This weekend, I promise, really. Hats too, after I get some stuff done. It's there on my list - people are there on my list - and I'm frantically trying to check things off, cross them out, and get moving on, well, everything.
I even tried to promise myself to write longer posts, make them more interesting and all that. Yeah, it's not really happening yet. Soon, though, soon. I promise.
I promise, I keep my promises.