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1. Downes 🍁 (downes@mastodon.social)'s status on Thursday, 25-Jul-2019 17:58:26 EDT Downes 🍁

   107 km. Woo!

   1. Laura Ritchie (lauraritchie@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 27-Jul-2019 04:24:47 EDT Laura Ritchie

      in reply to

      @Downes there must be more story to tell here? Do you have pictures? Did you need a rest day after that? Do you do great thinking on such a long ride - or just enjoy the clarity of the air?

      1. Downes 🍁 (downes@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 27-Jul-2019 10:37:06 EDT Downes 🍁

         in reply to

         @lauraritchie Of course there's more story (but not more photos, sorry). I had planned to go to Cumberland, on the Ottawa River, but I broke a spoke 14km into the ride, so I diverted to Embrun, to a cycle shop, where they changed my spoke in about an hour. Meanwhile, the wind shifted as well, from NW, to W, so it made sense to make my ride straight west and back. This took me through Metcalfe (past the house where I grew up) and on to Osgoode, which made it an exceptionally long ride....

      2. Downes 🍁 (downes@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 27-Jul-2019 10:41:29 EDT Downes 🍁

         in reply to

         @lauraritchie Going through Metcalfe is always fun because I get to reminisce about the different places where I spent my childhood. And from Metcalfe, a ride to Oscoode was rare, as it was a longish ride. But I once had a girlfriend from Osgoode, so I thought about that. I stopped at a restaurant for a quick lunch, but the light sub sandwich I had envisioned was more like a pizza sub (heavy and roasted) but it didn't really slow me down (I was worried about that)...

      3. Downes 🍁 (downes@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 27-Jul-2019 10:43:34 EDT Downes 🍁

         in reply to

         @lauraritchie On the way back it became an endurance run. I took the Marvelville road, a straight run about 5 km south of the Metcalfe route. Wind at my back, I was mostly concerned about mileage and hydration. It was brutally hot and I'd stop every few kilometers for some water and to adjust my clothing (also, my bike seat wore out at the front, so I was cycling on bare metal). Back toward Embrun (about 15 km from home) I turned north to take a break and have a smoothie...

      4. Downes 🍁 (downes@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 27-Jul-2019 10:47:15 EDT Downes 🍁

         in reply to

         @lauraritchie You ask about what I'm thinking about on such a ride. Most of it is focused on the ride itself, watching ahead, managing my pace, staying hydrated. When I have other thoughts, they're fleeting, and then it's back to the ride. I'm always listening to things on the earbuds (a 3-hour episode of TWIG, NPRs On the Media, music) but it's just background. The beauty of the rides is that I can clear my mind, not think about the weightier issues, just be in the moment. Cycling forces that..

      5. Downes 🍁 (downes@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 27-Jul-2019 10:51:42 EDT Downes 🍁

         in reply to

         @lauraritchie After the ride (and after I've recovered, rehydrated, showered), I am refreshed, rejuvenated. I'm thinking more clearly, I'm less worried about things. After a long ride like that I do need a day to recover; sometimes I'm productive (like when I wrote my Art article), sometimes I'm not (like yesterday), but it doesn't matter.

         Where it's magical is on the breaks during the ride, eating some dry bread and eggs, hearing only the sounds of a forest or small town, thinking of nothing.

         1. Laura Ritchie (lauraritchie@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 27-Jul-2019 14:37:41 EDT Laura Ritchie

            in reply to

            @Downes That's awesome. I love the clarity.

            I have never got to grips with earbuds for anything. But the clarity of space and air, I love that. This morning I had nothing but raindrops on the sea for my 2 miles of running. :)

            1. Downes 🍁 (downes@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 27-Jul-2019 15:53:47 EDT Downes 🍁

               in reply to

               @lauraritchie Earbuds were heaven-sent for me. I have a lot of noise in my head - internal monologue, tinnitus, breathing & heartbeat... earbuds isolate me from all that & give me an external world to focus on.