Sunday, December 9, 2012
There is only one way I know to fight a bad chest cold believing that a good offense is the best defense.  Holly didn't see it quite that way and was more than a little surprised when I announced my intention to go for a bike ride Sunday morning.  Do as I say...not as I do...is another one of those mantra's I live by.

You HAVE to pay attention to the forecast if you have any hopes of riding your bike outside this time of year.  Well...if you want to stay dry, that is.  I knew that showers were expected in the afternoon and really wanted to get out on UB for a longer ride.  I was anxious to start testing myself on courses I’ve ridden over and over to see it the lighter, carbon-framed bike would make a noticeable difference in my times.  When I’d ridden John’s ultra-light road bike, ‘The Rocket’, over the summer, I’d seen an almost ten percent improvement in my times.  I’m really not expecting that from UB, particularly since my cycling conditioning is in winter mode, but I am expecting maybe a five percent difference.

I boarded UB around 11 a.m. with an hint of sunshine in an otherwise steel grey sky.  Rain was coming, but I was reasonably certain it wouldn’t arrive for a couple of hours...about the time I wanted to ride.  The temperature was in the low forties, so I elected to ride without tights or a hat under my helmet, choosing instead to wear my do-rag.  I did put on two pairs of socks and my special riding mittens, though, and wore my long-sleeved under armor under my cycling shirt. 

I faced a fierce head wind over the first hour of the ride, which tends to suck the motivation out of me.  I wasn’t pushing for a fast time any longer, but only looking to have a strong second half of my ride.  I’d adjusted the seat height on the bike to match the bike I’d been riding, but found that the saddle, and old-style, heavy, leather Brooks, had me shifting slightly as I pedaled and losing stroke power.  I’d need to make an adjustment in the tilt of the seat...or replace it.  I noticed after about 20 minutes of riding that my bare knees had turned an interesting color of blueish purple.  I suppose riding at speeds topping 40 mph on downhills would create a chill factor that could manage these colors, but I didn’t feel cold.  Then there was my feet.  By the time I hit the hour mark, I started having second thoughts about riding for two hours.  I was turning out of the wind at this point, which meant I’d be going faster...and getting colder.  It wasn’t raining though, and my feet would eventually warm once I stopped riding...or so the theory goes.

I stayed the course and ended up back in my driveway almost exactly two hours after starting.  I couldn’t feel my feet as I walked into the house, but ten minutes in a hot shower alleviated that issue.  I made a large smoothie and drove to Mimi’s to put a second coat on the table I was refinishing.

My stomach pains are still at bay...and that after eating five pieces of Jet’s sausage pizza.  I continue to take my Kefir religiously and see no end to that pattern.  And then the Browns won their third game in a row and the city of Cleveland was ecstatic.  The good news...they won three games in a row.  The bad news...the whole town is excited because a Cleveland sports team won three games in a row. 

Bike Duration: Two hours.
Training Heart Rate: 120 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 1700.