March Madness

I am strong again. Or, rather, I remember what strong feels like.

It’s been a long, gray, sedentary winter. I have watched many a film, drunken many a beer, and consumed many a bowl of Breyer’s Natural Vanilla. I ran, rode, and swam very little.

Now, triathlon season is upon me.

This morning was the New York Triathlon Club’s March Madness Biathlon. It was what we call a shorty: two mile run, twelve mile ride, two mile run. A shorty.

I have a rigorous pre-race ritual: hydrate, sleep, shower, stretch, carb bar, health shake, lubricate (nipples, arches and such), and go.

I rehearsed with Shinola last night, which did a bit of damage to the hydration plan. Still, I love playing with those guys, and I love playing those songs. It’s almost been enough to make me give up on songwriting. I can never, ever write a hook as indelible as “May The Circle Be Unbroken.” Ever. We break down into four part harmony, then come in for the big finish, and it’s about as good a sound as any band I’ve ever been in has made.

Of course, I haven’t given up on songwriting. I started a new one yesterday called “Photograph.” I realize, for the record, that my songs (“Whirlwind,” “On The Stereo,” etc) are approaching cliche, but I like to think of them as universally themed instead. Anyway, it’s like this…