Motivation Fail

So I was in Chicago, and then I had a nasty cold, and now ... well, now I'm just lazy.

Sometimes, it is surprisingly hard to get back into the routine when you've taken essentially a solid week off.

It's not that I don't want to ride.  I do.  I'm just having a hard time getting out of the house.  Once out, I'm fine.

DD has been concerned about air quality issues, and I have been just plain old tired.  Not as tired as I was last week, during my beastly-but-brief summer cold, but still tired.  Last night, I slept for eleven hours; the night before, nine.  I think the two extra hours last night might have resulted from taking some 'night time' cold medicine to ward off both a scratchy throat and the effects of way too many Diet Cokes at dinner (once again, oops). 

Sedatives (including first-generation antihistamines) tend to hit me like a ton of bricks.  I apparently have an unusually poor blood-brain barrier or something :)  Anyway, this morning, while struggling against what felt like an avalanche of sleep, I dreamed again and again about waking up and being frustrated that I had slept so late.  I also dreamed my house was totally different, and awesome, but that's neither here nor there.

It's also possible that I simply scheduled too many hours on the bike in the same week that I went to Chicago, thus overdoing it by a significant margin.  I did meet my goal of 3.5 hours after a fashion, much of which was spent climbing.  Perhaps this week I'll focus on riding a little more gently, and set my goal at perhaps 4 hours (which will be easily attainable, assuming I actually succeed in completing those errands I need to complete this week).

I once discussed the challenge of getting your bike started on a steep climb: that's kind of how I'm feeling right now, except I'm not sure how to get sideways across this imaginary incline in such a way as to regain my motivation and my momentum.  Right now, gravity is winning a bit.  I am actually not particularly looking forward to a forty-mile trek (to school and back) that I have planned for this week, which strikes me as a bit unusual: the ride to school is a nice one, and since when do I not relish the thought of riding forty miles?

I suppose caffeine might do the trick. 

That said, I have been making use of some of this period of not wanting to leave the house -- I've straightened up a bit around here, and I've been experimenting in the kitchen (last week, I made a vegan chocolate cake -- not because it was vegan, but because it was the only recipe I had for the requested 'small cake' -- and it was good!).  Of course, indulging my 'foodie' side during a period of not riding might not be ideal (though I'm maintaining my trim, and keeping an eye on calorie intake).

On Saturday, I worked at Fourth Street.  During a slow period in the morning, I removed and degreased Hg's chain, scrubbed it out, popped it back on and lubed it, tweaked my gearing a little bit (finally fixed the front derailleur issue, so now when I ask for the big ring I get the big ring, and not a bike chain around my ankle), and removed and flipped my stem.  It appears to be about plum level right now, though I haven't yet taken a spirit level to it. 

This means the bars are now a bit lower relative to the saddle, which -- I think -- improves Hg's fit and handling a bit.  The rear derailleur, which I forgot to address, still needs a minor adjustment, and I still need to replace my seatpost -- but once those bits are done, Hg will be in prime shape.

And now, having said all that, I really need to go to the bank -- so I'm going to drag the bike out of the house and hit the bank, and with any luck that will snap me out of my stupor and get the blood flowing again.