Simple

Animals in the wild.  Have you ever noticed?  They seem to run, swim or fly as fast as they physically can only when their life depends on it.  Maximal effort sprints seemingly only unleashed when they’re hunting for food or attempting to escape a predator.  The rest of the time, it’s all about energy conservation.  Intuitively working as little as possible to get by.  Part of it I guess is that they don’t know when their next meal will be, so they don’t want to waste precious energy in case they won’t be eating for a while.  It’s not something that they learn.  They’re just born knowing.  Their natural way of being.  Thinking about this made me realize that my riding has evolved in this same direction as I age.  I haven’t done a hard ride effort in 5 years now.  No intervals.  No intensity.  I don’t need to.  I don’t want to.  I guess my life doesn’t depend on it anymore.  Well, except for that time last summer when I was chased by that dog in Dorchester Cape.  Fight or flight.  I chose flight.  I never have a hard time finding motivation to ride.  Ever.  Maybe one reason is because my riding has become so very simple now.  Just get out and pedal at my own pace.  Willpower can only carry us so far.  That’s why the majority of dieters regain their lost weight within one to five years.  It’s not a matter of forcing myself to do it even if I don’t feel like it.  It’s a matter of allowing myself to be fueled by passion and self-love rather than by fear and guilt.  It’s a matter of redefining sustainable fitness.  It’s a matter of relearning how to ride a bike like when I was a  kid.  The purity and freedom of being moved by a simple pedal stroke.  Start where you are.  One ride.  Finish before you’re completely spent.  Rest.  Repeat.  Simple is sustainable.  Keep it simple.