August, already?

Time moves differently when you're not working. You're lacking that eight-hour block in the middle of your day where you have to be in a certain place, doing a certain thing, draining you in a certain way. Maybe its that I keep myself too busy as it is, but I'm wondering how I'm going to fit that sort of time commitment towards school into my life. Will probably have to cut back on some fun... but there are things that do have to get done, like work for the CSU A-meet this fall, and setting up the ski-o event this winter. Those are the things that have not been getting done.

I finished the basemap of Boston College yesterday and went out to do some field checking. It is an interesting little area and I can't wait to set some courses there. I get the nagging feeling that its sloppier than would be perfect, plus I was using ISOM (international standards of orienteering mapping) rather than ISSOM (for sprints), so Amherst will definitely be ISSOM, because there are definitely drawbacks to using ISOM on a 1:5k sprint map. Also in the orienteering vein of things, I set up a scavenger hunt/orienteering course for the junior skiers yesterday, many people got lost but they all seemed to have fun. I'll do that again some time, for sure.

I've been attempting to ride my bike a little more than before, mostly to prepare my butt for the adventure race this weekend. Hopefully the other teams are also not strong riders, although at least on the bike leg its easier to tow someone. I'd be the towee. I headed over to Prospect Hill park last week to see what happened when I rode up hills, and I was able to ride negative splits and stay seated, both of which surprised me. More surprising though was that my times were faster than when I did this last summer. The only thing I can think is that I was on race wheels - I left my road bike, with the heavy commuting wheels, in Amherst, so I was riding my cx bike, and put the race road wheels on just so that I wouldn't have to use knobby tires. I really doubt that my legs are putting out more power than in the past. Especially on eggbeater pedals that wiggle with every pedal stroke... I should probably tighten those up.

Speaking of bikes, its time to go do some maintenance... better to ride slowly and have a bike that doesn't fall apart than to ride fast and have mechanicals.