Commute from work - Apr 8 2005

This was a great time. I put in at Hill of Life. My batteries were dead on the GPS so I couldn't track anything but wish I had.

waypoint 1 - I was feeling pretty good going down Hill of Life. I didn't dab once until....
waypoint 2 - Until I my front tire planted firmly behind a rock with hands. I went over the handle bars so high that I had time to have the following converstion w/ myself:

Self: "This is going to hurt".
Self: "Oh yeah, it's going to hurt".
Self: "What did we read last night about going over the handlebars without hurting oneself"?
Self: "You mean the part that reads: 'practice Judo falls for years until you can take a fall without landing on anything that can break?' That part?"
Self: "Right, it also said 'stay close to your bike and don't let go of the handlebars'
Self: Too late for that, the bike is way down there and we are way up here
Self: "Didn't they also say to relax and try to roll out of it?"
Self: "Your Right, they did say to try to ... OUCH"
Self: Ouch

Actually, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I'd like to think that the Aidido I had for 3 years (I only learned how to roll, not to defend myself) paid off. I relaxed and formed an edge down my right flank and rolled. I was back on the bike before anyone could see me and laugh at my newbieness.

waypoint 3 - Now that my fall was out of the way, I had license to have fun. I found small rocky trails on my way south-west and was feeling confident.

waypoint 4 - I crossed the creek farther south then normal. On the west side I ended up behind an apartment complex (APT 700). I put on my best "I've been lost for 3 days and couldn't find my way out" face and cut across the parking lot onto...Mopac. I hate riding on the highway.

waypoint 5 - I found the trail that goes behind 360 and southwest parkway that ends up in my neighborhood. I was soon home feeling confident about my ride.