Finally...a dry ride...outside

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Although John and I had predetermined we wouldn’t be doing the triathlon on this day, I held out hope that the weather would cooperate and I might get it in. Jack had a track meet starting at 10 a.m., but I thought I could get up and do the kayaking and/or a ‘Hike 56’ before going to the meet and then doing the ride afterwards. The forecast had been for thunderstorms throughout the day…but weather people are just guessing…as far as I can tell.

It was pretty cold and wet in the morning and I quickly gave up the idea of the kayaking. I suppose I’d like to at least enjoy my time in the water when I go and this weather, though wonderful for all types of waterfowl, left something to be desired for me. I went to Jack’s meet where he again ran a pr, getting his time in the 800 down to 2:15 but still struggling over the final 100 meters as a lack of stamina took its toll. He’s motivated by the fact that he’s getting better and earning his varsity letter, which he did by scoring team points in a Varsity race.

Marie was running as well, competing in the 4x1600, 4x400, and the sprint medley. She thought she’d run 5:20 in the mile, which I brusquely discounted. “You’re ready for sub-5:15 so quit holding back,” I said during our pre-race get together. She got the baton as the second runner and ran away from her competitors, turning in a 5:12 mile and leading the team to the win, a meet record and school record. She’s ready.

The sun was in an out throughout the meet with strong winds raking the track. I sat in the stands and read ‘The Paleo Diet’ over the four hours I was there. I came home with a nice sunburn on my face, though I didn’t notice it until later. With the roads finally dry, I prepared to take a bike ride. I began riding under a sky as gray as a battleship…but at least it wasn’t raining…yet. About 30 minutes into the ride I felt water hitting my legs, but figured it was probably my own sweat. I stayed in the saddle to climb hills to make it more difficult, but my left quad began cramping and I had to come up out of the saddle.

Damn…I’ve never had cramping like this for no apparent reason. I could understand the last time out when I was pushing hard and riding longer, but this made no sense. I crested the hill and began spinning the pedals while watching my legs pumping like pistons beneath me. To me, they looked like the same legs I’d been watching for the past forty years of riding…but were they? Maybe…and I hate to say this…but just maybe…I need to ratchet things back a notch or two. I’ve been hurting off and on since last fall and possibly the message my body is trying desperately to communicate is that I’m 56 and can’t train at the same intensity anymore. If that is the message, I suspect I’ll continue to ignore it. There is something deep inside that continues to push me…telling me not to give in to age…it’s only a state of mind. I think I can do more…and I think I can do it and stay healthy. Hopefully, I’ll have many more years to find out.

Bike duration: 95 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 130 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 1275.