Yesterday I spent $50 on getting my car washed and putting gas in it (I would say filling it up with gas but that did not fill it). Kind of a lame way to spend $50, but that's how it goes. I used to spend as much as $70 filling up my gas tank, so it could be worse.

My bike rides, lately, are a lot more interesting than the usual 35 mile ride to Redmond and back on the Burke Gilman. Went down the hill, 35th Ave to Nathan Hale, got up to 44.2 mph (GPS) or 46.1 mph (MotionBased). I would have gone faster but I went over a bump and was worried that one of my tires (or both, even) got a pinch flat, which would be disastrous at that speed. After that I found my way to the Burke Gilman Trail via 123rd St. Got on the Burke Gilman and passed this group of riders including a guy in a UW jersey. A few miles later he passed me, oh well, and shortly after turned around, I hate when people do that (especially when you were pulling for them for a few miles, you tire out, they pass you and don't pull at all, just turn around, it's cheap). I only do that when I pass someone and get particularly tired from doing so or from keeping a pace to stay in front of them (has only happened once). Turned around a mile or so after that.

I got to the two big intersections in Lake Forest Park along Lake City Way and there was a crosswalk and it was not our turn to cross (lights going straight were red). So I stop, there's a guy not too far behind me, he stops behind me. A little later these two guys come up and just run through it. Let me note that there is a huge sign that says something to the effect of "DO NOT CROSS ROAD ILLEGALLY". There are plenty of crossings on the Burke Gilman and the two intersections in Lake Forest Park are the only ones that say on a huge sign to not cross unless you have the walk sign, so it's the only one that I consistently obey. Cyclists generally dislike cars (I do not dislike cars, I avoid them) but even moreso they hate cyclists that break the law and give cyclists a bad image. Well, it annoyed me a little that these guys broke the law. So I decide I'm going to catch up. I get close and then it seems like they know I'm trying to catch up and they speed up. So for the next 3 miles I'm working my ass off to catch up to this 2 guy paceline. Obviously they have an advantage only having to pull half the time, so when I finally decide I'm going to catch up, I really had to work for it. I catch up and the guy on the back looks back at me and a second later drops his hand and does a little open palmed shakey thing. Now, this could mean about 5 different things, so I just proceed with caution (it could mean "I'm slowing down", "caution/debris ahead", "slowing/stopping ahead", "back off" or maybe something I don't know). I'm kind of resting behind them, not drafting close, but still saving some energy and I'm not really going fast enough (nor do I have the energy) to pass them. A minute later the guy looks back at me and says "Don't draft off of me" and I have to say it was extra annoying that it was in this feminine, prissy voice. So I just say "okay" and give them the opportunity to pull ahead. Of course not a minute later I'm catching up and I have to pass them. Given how tired I was and I passed them, there is no doubt that they were trying to keep me from catching up. Victory, Dylan. I turn off the trail at 95th and go around Lake City a little bit, heading west (and a little north consequently). Just wanting to go up some hills I go around, go up the hill from Meadowbrook Community Center, heading south and then past 90th (the N/S point I live at) so I can go up one of the hills off of 25th Ave. I hook around on 75th St, get on 25th Ave headed N and then go up 82nd in 2-1 (usually climb in 1-1, so this was good stuff, a little more difficult). I'll admit I was trying to climb in a gear higher than that but I just had to keep dropping gears because it was ridiculous to climb that kind of hill in a higher gear. So I ended on some good hill climbing. The ride was about 19 miles in a little over an hour. Oh yeah, I spent a mile at an average HRM of 182 bpm. One mile was completed in 2:38 (22.78 mph) which is not a PR or anything but good considering no tailwind or drafting (a PR in that regard). I guess these were both the same mile after just checking.

So much more interesting than a normal ride on the BGT. A bit more dangerous, I suppose, but you can't live life avoiding things because they are dangerous, gets too boring. So I guess I'll be working on planning out my next ride today... hopefully. Tonight I'm probably going for a run. It's not supposed to rain, if it does I'll probably go to the gym and swim.

So, yeah, got home from my ride, made some chicken burgers. Went to QFC. Came home and watched The Fifth Element. That was about it. Got maybe another 10 minutes into Donnie Darko. I really do like the movie, I just get tired.