573 days

Tomorrow it will have been 573 days since I rolled up to a start line with a bicycle. 

Just under 82 weeks. A year and a half....

That race I took dead last in my category....nearly 20 minutes behind the rider in front of me and over 35 minutes behind 1st place. But I was there....

I know you might be asking "why would he point this out"....or maybe saying "dang dude, don't beat yourself up"...because I am showing how far off the back I finished. 

I show this because I know where I am right now. I put myself in a position to be shot off the back early. I am ok with that. Back in 2016 I wasn't ok with it...because I felt like I was working hard to get my ass kicked. Right now, I am working hard and I know that I have a lot of work to do to be competitive again. 

Tomorrow morning I will line up for the first time a long time and I will do my best. I am simply getting back into racing, knowing what the outcome will be. Why? Because I need that measuring stick. The picture will become clear tomorrow after I cross the finish line. It will show me a few things....

1. How far I have come so far this year

2. How much further I need to go this year

3. Where my mental toughness is....

4. How much I miss racing....

This race will be more than just a race for me, it will be the measuring stick for the rest of 2018. When I line up for this same event in the fall, I will have a definitive time to shoot for on the same course...with a full year of riding in my legs.

So don't be surprised if you see me tomorrow. I will be heavier and putting just a bit more stress on the spandex I will be wearing. But I assure you, I will be having fun doing what I love to do with a bunch of friends...new and old. Sure, I might struggle. We all will at some point. But in the end....its all about the ride anyway right?