A good ride...a lot to eat.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

I woke expecting to feel pain with the first step from my bed…but none. Okay…let’s put it to the test of landscaping for the next three hours. Again…it was okay. Hmm.

I was walking normally and without pain throughout the rest of the day and wondering how something that had been so painful 24 hours ago could be gone. I wasn’t going to do anything stupid, though, and got ready for my doctor approved bike ride.

I hadn’t been cycling in some time and decided to go a little easier. I had time for a little over an hour before heading for a wedding reception and heavy calories.

The ride went well. I took a reasonably hilly course through Willoughby Hills and Waite Hill and finished in around one hour and twenty minutes feeling good. As anticipated, the hip was no trouble during the ride. I cooled off in the neighbor’s pool, screwing up his pH balance…like I always do. I think he likes the challenge of keeping it right after I’ve swum.

I was starving when we reached the reception in the swanky La Malfa Party Center in Mentor. We were late…pretty typical…and they were already eating salads. I sat down and had mine, but had passed the hors d’ovre table on the way in…and it was loaded! I excused myself from the rabbit food to go find something with real sustenance. I found a stray dinner plate and loaded it to the maximum with mussels, stuffed mushrooms, cheese, and other things I couldn’t name, but wasn’t afraid to eat.

“You shouldn’t be going up there to get hors d’ovre’s when they’re serving dinner. Didn’t you notice you were the only one up there?” Holly asked, probably embarrassed by me…again.

“Yeah…you’re probably right. So…I’m going back up…want some?”

“Um…maybe I’ll come, too,” she said…not so embarrassed to go if I’d take the lead.

Dinner came and it wasn’t light. Some kind of cheese potatoes, a filet, piece of breaded chicken and something else I couldn’t identify, but was glad to eat. I passed on the filet…not much of a beef eater, but scraped the rest of plate clean. Then they dropped off a large platter with assorted dessert things. I passed it around, but when it got back to me with about 20 pieces still on it, I set it down between Holly and me and that’s where it stayed.

So…I’ve been back from the Adirondacks for five days now and I just haven’t been able to stop eating. ‘Tomorrow’ I keep saying, but for real now. The good news? I don’t think I’ve gained an ounce and I’m ready for more activity.

Bike duration: 80 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 120.
Calories burned during workout: 1200.