One of the many things I like about taking a long ride, run or hike is that it purges my mind of life’s daily distractions — bills, deadlines, squirrels. The resulting void clears vital space for creative thinking, for random thoughts, ideas and whatnot to bubble up from the subconscious and get some air time. Usually, this is good thing. Sometimes it is not.

During my hour-long trail run at Umstead yesterday I realized a tune had been rattling around in my head. What is that song? I asked myself. Then it came to me: Donny Osmond’s “Sweet and Innocent.”

Now, had I been an 8-year-old girl when “Sweet and Innocent” was released in 1971, this recovered memory might be understandable. But I was not an 8-year-old girl, I was a long-haired 15-year-old guy who wore bellbottoms and listened to Three Dog Night and Sly and the Family Stone. Why wasn’t I humming “Family Affair”? Why was I humming “Sweet and Innocent”?

Frankly, I’d rather not know. I’d rather pretend this never happened and hope that the next time I have an exercise-induced cerebral vacuum, something less frightening moves in. Like a flashback to the day my draft number was picked.

* * *

The aforementioned could happen tomorrow during 6 BC, the second in a series of four six-hour mountain bike races sponsored by Triangle Off-Road Cyclists. I’ll be racing as part of Team TORC and, as a new value-added feature to GetGoingNC.com, will be tweeting throughout the event. (Yes, I’ve become one of those insufferable nits who feel compelled to document ev-ry-thing. But it’s really fun!)

To follow the action, go to twitter.com, click on “Find People,” then type JoeAGoGo (cut me some slack; all the good “Joe” names were taken) in the box. When JoeAGoGo appears, click the first button (a silhouette of a person next to a plus sign). You’ll be all set to have your Saturday repeatedly interrupted by reports from the race.