Miles of Maintenance

I don't know who said it, but "Ya gotta maintain."

I was cleaning and maintaining my bike yesterday, and I paused for a half-second when I wiped around the sticker that you see in the picture above. I got it at the Bicycle Coalition Gala a couple weeks ago, and it reminded me of many of the rides I've taken this year.

I've only recently found out about the Circuit Trails, maybe within the last 2 months (chalk that up to my occasional obliviousness to my surroundings), but after I looked them up, I realized that I've been on the vast majority of the trails that have been completed in Philadelphia without even knowing it.

I bring this up because I always seek adventures, and sometimes they find me, but this week and this month, I'm focusing a lot on maintenance instead. Being out there and getting active is great, don't get me wrong, but trying to do too much is dangerous. I reached a similar point last year when I crashed my bike (which I know was the universe trying to tell me something), so before it gets to that point again, I'm attempting to learn from my mistake. I'm on day 4 of 12 consecutive work days, and in total it will be 17 of 18, so it's time to pay attention again.

Everything needs a tune up once in a while, myself and my bike included, hence why I haven't been riding or writing much. BUT, something as simple as pumping up the tires this week made my commutes feel so much easier, and spending a week cooking almost every meal at home has given me a jump in my step. Believe it or not, I've been dragging lately, and it's because I wasn't maintaining myself. Happy bike, happy self, happy life, or something like that, right?

Anywho, keep on riding, but make sure to tune up every now and then.