Omens

Sometimes a fella has to know when to quit. In the words of the west coast philosopher, Clint Eastwood, "A man's got to know his limitations." This was one of those days.

Based upon what happened, this day has the potential to be dead solid perfect, or if I take a wrong turn, we will see signs of the appocalypse. So far, I think I have held the appocalypse at bay. You can thank me later.

It started perfectly. Eyes drift open at the appropriate time without the alarm. Don the cycling gear, grab the food bag and the gear bag and head out the door to meet M&M at the park for a brick workout.

Weather conditions? Perfect. The air is cool and foggy. A full moon makes my front yard look as enchanted as Hobbiton of the Shire. The air is perfumed by moist, cedar mulch. Absolutely perfect.

The drive in? perfect. No traffic. Good coffee. Good music. Park deserted. Assemble the bike, drink coffee and listen to my own heartbeat until M&M arrives. Absolutely perfect.

Fog and mist shroud the streelights on the cycling loop. Its like cycling on another planet and we slice silently through the quiet morning--strong legs, no wind, zone 2, one hour, perfect.

Jump off the bikes and transition to a good, solid 10K run twice around the park. Decent stride, good tempo, strong performance. Great workout. Perfect.

Off to the gym for a final stretch and a shower. Joke around with Maria Gratia and more coffee. Nothing better. Then the omen happened.

In my bag are two shoes--identical brand and style, one for the right foot and one for the left, same size. Absolutely identical except for the fact that one is brown and one is black. This, my friends, is an omen. A fork in the road of the space time continuum.

The day before a three day weekend, do you dare tempt fate by forcing yourself into the office, either with mismatched shoes or after the 1.3 hour round trip to the house to fetch the mate? After the absolutely perfect morning you have started? Do this only if you want to be single-handedly responsible for the fall of Western Civilization.

It was my choice to make. Perfection or cataclysm. If this ever happens to you, and if you have the power to do so, simply stop. shrug and accept your fate. Do not shake your fist at the triathlon gods like Ahab in quest of the white whale. I grabbed the laptop and headed for the safety of my home office. Now, if the GYGO podcast comes out a day early, I will know beyond doubt that I made the right decision.

You can thank me later.