In two days it will be June. That is the official start of summer in my mind. Which meant it felt a little bittersweet to stumble upon this photo taken in August of last year. Summer often goes too fast…

None of us wants summer to slip by unappreciated. But life has a tendency to shove us through these three months no matter how we try to take stock, slow down and appreciate these summer days.

What do we want from summer?

I do know what I’d like to get from this year’s summer months. Perhaps you can relate. I want a number of long, unpressured bike rides that wind up at twilight with the air cooling down and the feeling of those miles in my legs.

But I also want those hard, fast nights when the air is warm and I’m cycling for all I’m worth, legs screaming as I rip along at 26+mph trying to break my record on a Strava segment.

That’s summer too.

It will be a great summer if there are also many long runs on grassy paths and gravel trails. It would even be nice to get lost in a deep, thick woods and have to figure my way back home on sandy trails in the north woods.

If there’s a cool, dark lake in which to swim at the end of some of those runs, that would be wonderful too.

Riding nowhere to get somewhere

Every summer a group of us gather to ride from St. Charles, Illinois up to Fontana, Wisconsin where we go for a refreshing swim in Lake Geneva. Then we retreat to the shady confines of Chuck’s, a bar overlooking the lake shore and all the boats. We drink beers and have burgers without worrying about getting a bit ripped because the designated driver with our bikes on the back of her car will usher us back home.

Racing triathlons

It will be a stupendous summer if a few races also plop into the schedule. For me that means a couple Sprint Tris and an Olympic (or two.) We may even do a crazy fun new race called the Loop Pursuit up in Verona, Wisconsin. Here are the raw details.

Sunday, August 4th, 2019
Total Distance:  50 miles
Swim: .8 miles
Bike: 39.2 miles
Run: 10 miles

It bills itself this way (from the Rocket Bicycle Studio website:

THE EVENT TO REMIND YOU WHY YOU LOVE TRIATHLON

“Making its debut in 2019, The Loop Pursuit is the triathlon experience you’ve been longing for. We’re focusing on what you love about the sport — camaraderie, challenge, attaining a personal best — and leaving behind those things you don’t.The Loop Pursuit Triathlon gives participants a “right distance” race opportunity to use for long course triathlon training and a challenge for those wanting a bit more than a sprint distance triathlon.”

In other words, while all these summer sensations are great to pursue, it might be fun for all of us to break out of our training and racing routines this summer. I might even look for an Xterra Tri or some nutty thing like that.

Because the one thing that I want from this summer is to feel like I am truly alive. And so should you.