The old me would have been bummed, worried about the financial impact, used this as an excuse to stress-eat, or skulk about in pj's.New me is no less concerned regarding financial impact(there is SO Much exercise stuff I need), and worry about if this fried the diesel motor but also is Bummed that making the pool without a car is next to impossible, so I realized I needed to revamp my exercise plans for the week. If it was summer I could ride to the pool yet realistically, I am not fit enough to pedal an 45 minutes to the pool, swim, then pedal 45 minutes, home(with wet hair in low 40* temps), then clean-up into work clothes switch bikes & pedal into work. So how to best revamp?
Hoping the temps would warm a bit, I slept in Sunday. At 11:30 as ready as I could be, I headed out the door Carlos, TX bound. 15-20 mph gusts were avaliable to provide 'hills' and cloud cover guaranteed no sunburn worries. Even at 44*, a few miles of pedaling meant I was ready to strip down a little from what I had on.Well I tried to unzip the sleeves while pedaling... someone should have secretly been videoing this performance! After pulling off into an oil derrick drive, I had to divest of the camel-back, completely take off the convertible jacket/vest to get the sleeves off. While I was stuffing the sleeves & wool mitt gloves into the the bungee on the camel-back, an older man pulled in to check if I was ok( how nice is that!). then I was off.
My bike computer was on, but not registering anything aside from time. Yet after a few minutes of fruitless messing with it, I just wanted to get going. I knew where I was going, the approximate mileage and really at my level.. its about getting out and doing the planned activity. My goal was to make it there and back, pedaling at my steady(until inclines)12 mph or so pace.Alan Watts was wedged in one ear while the traffic -side ear was open to hear humming dually tires. Pedaling was warmer than staying still, so after a divesting of sleeves I was eager to be moving.
It was a chilly ride, providing motivation for continued movement. Being alone,at first I didn't have the discipline to not stop when needing a drink of Vega Sport fuel( I love this drink! It is so much more palatable than a grocery store bought sports drink I tried! Its not super-sweet and doesn't leave a chemical flavoured aftertaste.) out of the cage, but a few times of doing that & having my knees cool down to stiffness, snuffed that bad habit. The trick for me is not only learning what refueling and re-hydration needs, but trying the find the minimum amount of foods that will meet this need. After all I am lugging an extra person along, squeezed into my skin with me.. so I am all about burning the fat up fuel. I made it to the biker(Harley) cantina & gas station/hamburger joint where I celebrated with the most incredible chocolate milk. The timing was lucky too as my tummy was upset from the soy-chorizo tacos for breakfast.
Pedaling back home the temperature went up a few degrees at the same time the humidity and wind increased, so it felt colder. Along the way, I passed a swarm of turkey-buzzards feasting on a recently hit-by-car-deer, a few cyclists pedaling the other way & a couple of guys way out, running. I also stopped once to get a picture of a baby exotic deer. I was almost home! Feeling a surge of excitement for success(or complete loss of social decorum), here's where the crazy part began.
Almost home!At a main intersection with about 5-6 miles to go, I started yelling out-loud to myself."Almost home. Go Dawn, Go! SPRINT! Pedal Faster! SPRINT!Faster!Change Light! SPRINT!" Pickup drivers weren't honking at me for taking the lane on the bridge overpass. They were trying to decide is I was off my meds! HA! No one was avaliable to cheer me on, so I had be my own cheering squad. Well my sprint may be slower than Lance Armstrong's warm-up ride on a tricycle, but I sustained as hard as I could. My breathing may have sounded similar to a sumo wrestler trying to run a mile. When I got to the house, I looped around for a mile until my breathing was back to normal.
After peeling out of cold sweaty clothes, I crawled under the electric blanket to warm up. This didn't work so I finally took a hot shower. A salmon cup for a snack, then I was out the door with an impatient Scottie for a walk. Plan for the rest of the week since I cant make the pool, 90 minutes walk-run in the mornings, my regular Golds gym days for functional weights, & bike rollers & dog walk in the evening. I will not allow the car being broke to derail me in more than I can possible help.
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