March 28, 2003

• Went for a bike ride for the first time in, like, uh… 8 months or so, I guess.
  
  Oh MAN.
  
  My body’s not happy with me at all. It doesn’t help that I live in one of the extra hilly areas of town, and that they had removed the water fountain at the park that was my destination.
  
  But now I’m back at home, and after having been dizzy for a little while, and having rehydrated, I’m craving junk food. Yay Clif bar and organic ginger beer!
  
  The hills around here aren’t high, but they’re steep. If I hadn’t quit riding when I did, I’d have zoomed right over them. But now I’m a flabby tub of lard; hopefully that’ll change as I ride more.
  
  Also I’m tremendously uncentered, which is the real problem. I can’t even find my center of gravity like I used to be able to. It’s an abstract concept at the moment, rather than a real thing.
  
  I have this notion that all things are like walking. In walking, one falls forward continually, and then catches oneself. Your center of gravity pitches forward and trusts the rest of the body to know what to do to stay upright. The same works for riding a bike up a steep hill (if you’re in shape): Put the center of gravity where you want to be, and then fall towards it. The solid frame of the bike, and the muscles pushing it forward will carry it along.
  
  Performing this kind of riding yields a mental state where the goal is to continue, rather than to get to the top of the hill. Continue enough, and you’ll be where you’re going. If you can’t continue, you’ll never get there anyway.
  
  Of course, my body’s not even ready to do that. I have to struggle for a while to get it strong enough. My kung fu! Is no good!

  • 10:59 pm
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