Why Won't July Die?!?

I don't think I'll ever forget July 2008. So much has gone on and I'm finding myself drained in every facet of my life. Between a great trip to Mammoth, my dog passing away and buying my first condo I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed. I think all the stress has changed my riding.

I went out and rode almost 30 miles yesterday to try and jumpstart my training again and found it to be tougher than I would have liked. The whole ride felt like a blur as I just went through the motions of riding.

I've noticed on my last two rides that my lungs and breathing have some problems. Not sure what it is. It almost reminds me of the asthma I had when I was a kid. I'm hoping it's just a small bug or a lapse in my fitness.

I'm looking forward to August and the rest of 2008 now. Hoping to rest and get things to be a bit more settled. Also looking forward to getting my GPS back so I can know how fast I'm doing various rides. It's a horrible feeling to not know where you're at on the bike. Am I getting slower? Faster? I feel like I'm working hard on some rides but I have no numbers to back me up.

Either way I'm happy July is almost over.