There is nothing more irritating in the world to be sitting at my desk, hard at work, momentarily glancing out the window, and seeing a cyclist ride past.  Meanwhile, my bikes hang from the wall behind me, begging to be ridden.  I anxiously watch the clock, waiting for 5:00 pm to roll around so that I can gear up and hit the pavement.  Don’t get me wrong, I adore my job because it entails a lot of writing (technical writing, that is!).  But it has been a long winter, and up to this point my bike riding plans have been thwarted on every warm Spring day.  So, when I see this gentleman ride his bike past my house every Wednesday at 2:30 pm on-the-dot, I resist the urge to open my window and yell at him to find a different route because he is distracting me.

The sounds of the pavement and breeze blowing past my ears are all that I want to hear.  The feel of the heart pounding in my chest, forcing blood to course though my veins.  Blood absorbs oxygen from my lungs, and distributes it to the rest of the body in an attempt to replenish, to revive hard working muscles.  I focus my thoughts on my muscles that are a powerhouse of energy, carrying my body over hills and through valleys.  The burn of the fibers within my muscles intensifies as I reach my Lactic Threshold.  The annoying dull pain sends a notice to my brain to not push hard for too much longer.  Just relax and enjoy being enveloped by nature.  See the birds fly overhead, smell the fresh cut grass, and feel the warmth of the sun.  This is why I ride, to get lost in a world of wonderment that is before my eyes every day.  Cycling pulls me away from daily life and allows me to experience the reason as to what keeps humans alive.

©2011, Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivative – visit  Amanda Headlee — It is Always Darkest Before the Dawn for the original source of this content.