Summer ain't over quite yet...

Friday, September 2, 2011

The heat is back…I know it because I gave in and agreed to turn the air conditioning back on. I know I have to be careful again. I’ve been dropping an inordinate amount of water lately and don’t think I’m replacing it all and that is never good for performance…or health.

I headed out on the bike with the intent of covering my Sperry Road to Mulberry course. I had less than two hours to complete the ride, but with the scorching heat, I didn’t know if I could maintain the pace I would need to make it in time. It normally takes me a hair over an hour to hit the top of the hill on Sperry just south of Billings so when I arrived there in 58 minutes, I was pretty sure I’d be okay. I continued to ride hard for the next ten minutes, but then the heat began to take its terrible toll. I slowed noticeably as I rode home on Mulberry, not even trying to maintain my normal speed and finally arrived back home drained and tired in a little less than two hours.

Mimi had put in an emergency email to me. She’s been getting water in her upstairs bathroom because some leaves plug her gutter just above the window and when the torrential storms hit, the water climbs the gutter and comes in through the window below. Only it doesn’t stop there…finding its way to the dining room below via the chandelier over the table and then to the basement. I put the ladder to the gutter and climbed up to find a handful of leaves…and that was it. Her cable was running from the roof into the gutter at that exact point…the only thing I could see that would cause the backup…so I pulled it out and ran it alongside the gutter. Water is an amazing element and can do considerable damage in a big hurry. I climbed the ladder in my work pants and was sweating through them by the time I descended. The good news is she’s got some more tree cutting and stump digging to perform…and I love that workout, though I think I’ll save it for a night when it’s not 200 percent humidity.

Bike workout: 1 hour and 49 minutes
Training Heart Rate: 130 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 1,500.