I left work a little early so I’d have time to work on things for the funeral service. I also wanted to get in a ride since I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be doing much the next day…except eating.
It
was a perfect riding day; sunny and in the sixties. I decided I’d try to do something approaching
my birthday ride, which would mean 58 miles.
I haven’t ridden consistently in weeks, so this really wasn’t a good
idea, but when have I ever let that stop me?
I filled both my water bottles to the brim and set off.
After
an hour of hard riding, I found myself climbing a long, steep hill towards All
Souls Cemetery on Chardon Road. It’s a
good stopping point to refill water bottles on a hot day, and this was
qualifying. I was concerned about muscle
spasms in my quads; something I seem to experience on long rides when I’m out
of shape and it’s hot…both conditions were present.
I
could feel twinges in my quads around the forty-mile mark and began backing off
my speed. While climbing a hill shortly
after, both quads went into painful spasms.
I sat down, shifted into my easiest gear and rode with the knowledge
that the last 10 miles would be painful, at best. Though I proceeded slowly, I finally finished
the ride. It was not pretty, but I’d
spent close to four hours in the saddle and burned many of the crappy calories
I’d consumed over the past several days.
I
ate a lasagna-like dinner and retired to my office where I worked for the next
several hours trying to make the eulogy I would give for my mother-in-law
something that would have made her happy.
Though I cherish the honor of speaking on a loved one’s behalf at their
funeral service, it is quite nerve-wracking because I really want it to be
something special. I think this one will
be, but if it’s not, everyone will know that my intentions were honorable.
Bike duration: Three hours and 45 minutes.
Training Heart
Rate: 120 bpm.Calories burned during workout: 3150.
No comments:
Post a Comment