Big 4-0

I don't make a big deal about birthdays or, usually, growing older, but something about 40 just inspires midlife crisis thinking.



First off, I have to thank Jennifer again for conning me into this insanity that is BikeMS. We'll see if that gratitude holds up to 170 miles in a weekend, but she got me two new Hawaiian shirts today and didn't have to spend a nickel to do it. I have a couple I bought over a year ago that were too small to wear after I washed them once. I haven't shed any pounds, but I rode in one of these shirts today. Still not as roomy as I like, but it's no longer that 'fat man in a little coat' routine from Tommy Boy.



Took a good long ride. Included the 25 mile version of the Tour de Shawnee, just followed the orange arrows (though I hate that little snip of Shawnee Mission Parkway where the speed limit is 55: bad touch, don't include what amounts to Interstate on a bike tour).



I didn't restrict myself to this route, though. I added on to it, another section following, more or less, one of the Trek group routes from Monday nights. Got almost to my car, saw I was at 37.3 miles and decided I could tack another little loop on to make it 40 miles. Keep this up and I'll have to ride 80 miles on September 12, 2049.



40.4 miles to be precise, top speed of 35.4, average speed 12.6 (my fastest average on a long ride to date—I was faster once on a 9 mile run, but that's almost a mile per hour faster than last week's 38 miler).



For a birthday dinner, Mom, my bro & his wife took me and the girls to Five Guys so I could replace all the calories I'd burned. And the copious sodium that had crystalized on my brow.





Then lemon meringue pie. Got a handy gift card to the Trek store, which it turns out I need because my saddle is shot. Two of the three points that are supposed to connect are broken, so I probably better do something about that before I end up with a seat post up my butt.



The girls had a blast running around my Mom's back yard, rolling in the grass. Then I got to watch the Itchy & Scratchy Show (which comes on right before the Tantrums & Whining episode of Daughters vs. Father, which was sponsored by No You Really Have to Take a Shower Before Bed).





We're all exhausted. They're both in bed and we'll see how far I get with my grand plan to practice guitar before bed.