Even in Australia...

we did hit 2000 miles today

One of my favorite children's books is called Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. I love it because it can apply to anyone of any age. In the story, Alexander has a day which, from beginning to end, brings one disappointment, disaster, or dark outcome. Throughout his trials of the day, he counters each with the implicit desire to run away to Australia, where no bad things will happen.

That was us.
That was today.
Bad ride
Bad road
Bad roadkill
Bad smells
Bad traffic
Bad drivers
Bad heat
Bad humidity
Bad headwinds
Bad bums
Bad scenery
Bad.

You know how I try to put a positive spin on things?  Not so much today. One of the leaders said that today was the hardest century he ever didn't do...it was only 74 miles...but it felt double.

Before we left for the trip, I had friends give me gifts, SWAG for comfort, practicality, and good juju.

One was a bag of inspirational sayings. I pull out one saying a night, and get that - shot in the arm. My favorite remains the first one I opened:
"It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog." -Mark Twain.

I received a rear view mirror which I attach to glasses each morning. Not only has this tiny bit of hindsight provided me safety, but it also reflects some of the challenges we had just tackled.

And - tucked into my Camelback, which I wear everyday, is a compass. It has just the one thought that we had all day today, have had throughout this trip, and will hold onto until we dip our tires in the Atlantic - FOCUS.
So even though, we did indeed have a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day today...
tomorrow, century number five, is another day of fight, forward sight and focus.

Now...if only I can get rid of that smell out of my memory banks...
(yes Ray - that bad...)