Chasing 10,000

Barley 2 months left in the year.  Two more months to ride and add to my mileage.  Two months in record territory.  Sometimes I forget that it will happen.  Excitement is building slowly.  Perhaps when I am at the last 100 miles I will be thrilled.  But now being 7 miles shy of 9500 miles for the year it seems business as usual.

I passed my former annual record ages ago.  7932 miles IIRC.  Just put a smile on my face.  every tenth of a mile, every pedal stroke was a new record.  I remember being so disappointed when I failed to reach 8000.  For that matter, I recall sitting in Court Avenue Restaurant and Brewing Co watching ISU play a bowl game on New Year's Eve pondering taking the trail to Fleur and passing Gray's Lake for the final ride and thus gaining the extra miles to reach 4K.  Damn, that's been a while.  Since then I passed 6K and hit 7K at least twice.

A few years ago someone told me of a person that had 9000 for the year.  I thought that was nuts.  3 to 4K was hard enough but 9K.  Now I am that person.  Nothing in my life has been sacrificed.  I still beat everyone home despite my 15 mile ride from work.

Work.  The commute.  That made the difference.  Guaranteed 150 miles from Monday to Friday without messing around or padding miles.  There was a time that I aimed for 200 miles per week.  My weekends are the biggest opportunity to add more but I seem to let it slide.  I had less than 20 last weekend.

Sometime before the end of November I will cross the 10,000 mile mark.  If weekend weather is good that will be before Thanksgiving.   So damn close it does not seem real.  Does not seem like a big deal.  Just something that will be noted on my Bike Log.

I do plane to celebrate.  In the works there will be a laurel wreath, construction paper attached to a tire, with "10,000 Miles" written on it.  I will have it placed around my neck and be holding a freshly opened bottle of champagne.  Got to celebrate success, celebrate achievements.  Most likely I will have to duck out at CABCo or The Lift or Mullets while I wait for someone to be home to take my photo.