Clipped

The Friday levee ride was a little faster today than usual. On hand this morning was Matt R., who has just moved back to his house out by the Lake after spending the last nine months or so in Aspen CO. He said it felt warmer here. Anyway, it was a nice paceline ride and by the time I got home it was already getting pretty hot.

Having been in desperate need of a haircut for the last few weeks, I finally broke down, grabbed the $8.95 SuperCuts coupon off the dresser, and rode down to the local clip joint when they opened this morning. I sat there amid a snowstorm of grey clippings thinking about how they should have some light grey sheets to put over the old guys because the sight of all that white hair against the dark blue background is disconcerting in more ways than one. I've always hated getting haircuts. I always tell them that I like it long and they always smile and cut it so short that I'm distinctly uncomfortable for the next couple of weeks. Just to emphasize the discomfort, there's always a lot of tiny hair clippings that fall down my collar and irritate me the rest of the day.

So tomorrow I'm heading up to Natchez with Charlie for the 2 p.m. master's race. It's about three hours away, so at least we won't have to get up too early in the morning. From what I gather, there will be a lot of masters there this year. It even sounds like Matt rounded up the NBO troops for this one. The 35+ and 45+ age groups will start and race together, so it should be a pretty good-sized group. Natchez is a lot more centrally located than Hodges Gardens was in prior years, so I expect we'll get a better turnout just because of that. Also, the course may be hilly, but it can't possibly be as brutal as Hodges. Or can it?? All I know for sure is that it will be hot! How I will do is really up in the air this time, since I haven't really done any intensity all week while trying to get my legs back to where they don't ache every time I push on a pedal. At least the person who gave me my haircut offered some encouragement for the race this weekend, saying, "You should be about a pound lighter now."