Outstanding

This weekend, the crocuses bloomed.

The red wing blackbirds arrived.

These guys are regulars since the wetland restoration in our neighborhood was completed.

That can mean only one thing:

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Sunkissed

Sunshine has been a much needed tonic for me. Through the winter, my morning and evening commutes have been dark, cold affairs that offered little comfort. The first glimmers of change came with fingers of pink and blue light streaking the sky on the morning commute and a slow realization that there was a golden glow not emanating from my headlight alone on my evening commute.

This week brought the fullness of Spring as the sun shone with an intent that it has not had this Winter as it barely dented the leaden skies, its warmth was felt by all of us out in it, and crocuses started stirring and raising themselves from long sleep underground. I've been kissed by the sun on several occasions this week, getting out to ride in shorts; my knees seeing daylight for the first time in months.

With the change in season I feel a change in mood. I want out. Out of school. Out of work. Out of life commitments. I want to live solely and exclusively for joy and wonder. I know this isn't realistic, but Spring is the time that reckless hopes and dreams can be put forth. Reality is a little less playful. I know that I will wake up and start the work week tomorrow, as sure as I know that the pre-Spring weather will snap back to the more seasonably appropriate chilly, windy and rainy that is sure to befall us this week. But the glimmer of change that the weather has brought to both my mind and my body will hopefully stick around long enough to make it to the full blossom of Spring in just a short time. I can last in the cold darkness just a little while longer knowing that the light at the end of the tunnel is near and approaching fast.

Keeping busy

It has been a busy few weeks. The start of a new semester of teaching, the start of a new semester of grad school and the roller coaster of owning a bike shop when the weather oscillates wildly between freezing cold and "here comes Spring!" nice has been a bit overwhelming. Riding every day has been a significant stress release and those few weekend days where the sun has been shining and the temperatures have been warm enough to allow for riding without a huge number of layers have made me feel content and that all is right with the world.

My health has been great and my cognitive and emotional states have been dramatically different since I started the Apeoquerin supplement trial. I don't know if I am a part of the placebo group or not, but I have noticed a marked improvement. I no longer feel a thick, fuzzy layer in my brain and I have noticed that I don't get as agitated in stressful situations in my classroom. Whatever the reason may be, I'm enjoying the effects.

The racing season starts in a month and a half, so training has taken on a little more prominence in my life. I don't have the time in the day to do longer bike rides, so I have added running to my training regimen. It has been a nice change of pace to start running again. I always forget how enjoyable it is to just put on some shoes and go. To my mix of targeted events this year I have added The Bear. A run from Linville, NC to the top of Grandfather Mtn. during the Highland Games. Add to that a few local 5k's and maybe, just maybe the offroad marathon at The Triple Lakes Challenge in September and this could be a pretty full season of riding and running.

I'm closing in on mile 500 this weekend. It seems like a lot, but I know that I don't really ride much, I just ride often right now. Once summer hits, I'm hoping to get seriously ahead of the goal of 3,650 miles and not look back. Maren from Can Do MS let me know that there have been many donations to them through the MS 365 Project link and I truly appreciate it. I will update you with the donation totals when I get them from her.

As Spring approaches, take advantage of every nice day by getting out and moving. You won't regret it.