Dear So and So

[Anelia]

oldwatshername, it's horrible. I have a student, a smoker and he doesn't take a shower often. But the most disgusting thing is his breath I feel it even from a distance. Oh, my nose is very sensitive and somethimes I wish it weren't.

[alexis_the_tiny]

Dear makers of triathlon apparel for women,

Putting on a one piece tri suit should not involve possible dislocation of my arm attempting to wrestle the built-in sports bra on. Neither should it require the help of a second person. Please stop building sports bras into one piece tri suits. There's no logical reason for it, really.

[Crankin]

Indy, you will find your cycling mojo. I've been through this more than once. During the most severe bout of it, I found doing lots of fun "errand" rides on my heavier bike got me out there more than I would have been on my road bike. I learned all about all of the local farm stands and met some interesting people. I probably did about 300 miles over a season this way. I was still riding on the weekends with DH and friends and doing occasional group rides, but I put no pressure on myself. In fact, I still don't. I haven't gone as far as not using a computer, because I like to use cadence and distance, but I rarely look at my average speed anymore. I'm not saying I never do, but once I took the pressure off of myself, I actually started improving a little.
The winter after the season I did all of those little errand rides, I went on a group x country ski outing with someone I knew from rides I had lead. She brought a friend, who lives in my town. She said, "Oh, I know you... you must commute all year round," and she went on to describe my bike, and even what color cycling jacket I have! She had seen me shopping many times in west Concord, and thought I didn't have a car. So, I guess I was out there enough to have someone recognize me. To me, that was just as good as having a 16 mph average (which is fast for me).

[indysteel]

Thanks for the encouragement, Crankin. I rode 20 miles yesterday (my first ride since November). It was nice. My sit bones are sore, but I otherwise felt good. Part of my problem is that I used to ride with a big group of friends all over town. It was a strong group and I was motivated to ride a lot simply to keep up. I also liked the diversity of where we rode. Now I mostly ride with DH from our house. I think I need to mix it up a bit more this year. I need to do some hill work and go out of my way to ride with friends. Mentally and physically, I've been more motivated this past year than I was the year before (I've been running and working with a trainer on resistance work) so I'm hopeful. I'm just not patient when it comes to the bike. When I first started riding in 2006, I got strong pretty quickly thanks to some serious determination. I want that person back, but I keep glossing over how much work it took to get there. I think it would help if I went a little easier on myself.

[Bethany1]

Indy,

Hadn't thought of wheel drag. Yup. I have really wide mountain bike tires. I tried smaller sized, but the roads are too beat up for anything else. If I want to ride on the rural gravel roads, I need the wider tires as well.

Wish I had money to go to Omaha to ride the mountain bike trails. I'm sick of rural roads.

[redrhodie]

Dear bike shop boys,

You don't know how much the short cut meant to me. You are the best. The ride was way more fun than it was heading. I love you both, and dj, godspeed. You are a like lunar moth. I'm lucky to have known you.

Dear Old Friend,

I don't know what to say to you. I'm really mad at you, and may just want to end our friendship. I'm not returning your call because it's your birthday and I don't want to ruin it for you; because I won't be able to not tell you how much you hurt and dissappointed me. I never asked much of you, but now I know I expected more. Your excuse for not calling when I needed you was really lame. If there's another reason, you need to be honest with me, because the other one makes you look like an insensitive jerk.

Dear Me,

You learned a lot recently, but maybe you've forgotten forgiveness and compassion.

[indysteel]

(((Red))). It pains me to hear this. I've unfortunately learned the hard way that some people just aren't giving. I lost a friend in a similar fashion. I was there for her during her divorce, but when I needed her sometime later, she just couldn't reciprocate. I let the friendship rapidly fade from there. Sometimes I miss her, but I just can't waste energy or my love on someone who's happy to receive friendship but can't return it. I do, however, regret not telling her that she hurt me. I think I deserved to give voice to that. So, I would give some thought to that in your own situation. Maybe she'll surprise you by offering a sincere apology and a change in behavior. If not, you've at least said your piece.

[Sky King]

Indy,

Hadn't thought of wheel drag. Yup. I have really wide mountain bike tires. I tried smaller sized, but the roads are too beat up for anything else. If I want to ride on the rural gravel roads, I need the wider tires as well.

Wish I had money to go to Omaha to ride the mountain bike trails. I'm sick of rural roads.

Check out the Schwalbe Big Apple - could be a great alternative - wide but not as knobby.