Yesterday as I struggled to get through a bike ride, I realized it was time to adjust my bicycle goals, a slight correction in direction if you will. It has been 10 weeks since I climbed on my bike and embarked on a regular effort to ride. Before then my riding was spotty at best, and then there was the crash in February…
With the decision to return to the bike, I followed a strategy to ride several 12-15 mile days during the week and increase my longer, Saturday rides by several miles a week. The goal was to have everything come together for a 40-mile group ride on August 25 and several similar rides in the fall. The plan worked for a while, up to and including a strong 26-mile ride last Saturday..
Yesterday the plan called for a ride of 30-miles, only I didn’t feel it when I woke up. I was sluggish and slightly ill. Could have been the Mexican food we ate for Friday dinner or the restless night’s sleep (most likely aftermath of the food), but I felt like I had been hit by a truck. We followed our usual Saturday plan, John left the house early to bicycle to Walland, TN (about 27-miles) and I left 45 minutes later to meet him at the entrance to Old Walland Highway with fresh drinks and ready to ride.
I was running a few minutes late (gas gauge read E when I left the house-whoops) but it turned out to be a good thing. All available designated parking areas and roadside shoulder parking spaces were filled with cars sporting bike racks. Luckily, a few pulled out just as I arrived. John was a little early which resulted in a rush with sunscreen application and drink transfer but we were on the road pretty quick.
Mentally I had divided the ride into 3- 10 mile segments. I focused on the 1st 10, which would take us just beyond the end of Walland Road. Riding out was tolerable though my legs felt heavy and my mind was not focused on the task at hand. I must have been complaining a lot because about 4-miles in, John asked if I wanted to go on or turn around. I chose to go on.
As we neared the end of Walland Road and entered the 2nd of the 10 mile segments, some decisions had to be made… rolling hills or flat into Townsend, TN. I chose flat, climbing would have ended the ride for me. The Townsend police have been known to harass bicyclists so John suggested we take the greenway. I think he was concerned about my lagging pace and possible panic in fast, heavy traffic. Good call on his part.
As we bicycled toward Townsend, John suddenly decided to cross 5 lanes of Highway 321 to pick up the greenway on the other side. The frequent hotel, restaurant and roads crossing through the greenway was driving him crazy. We caught a brief (and somewhat scary) opening in traffic and hurried to the other side where we wound our way toward the Little River and a quiet 2-lane road that ran parallel to the highway.
At this point in the ride I knew that getting 30-miles would be difficult. I needed more than 16 miles and we were only about 12 miles from the car. We started doing loops on a residental street near the river until it occurred to us that the residents might think we were casing the neighborhood. It was time to head back to the car.
The last miles were painful for me. I peddled and coasted, peddled and coasted. Somewhere around the Wesley Woods Camp driveway, where I stopped for the 2nd time in 4 miles, I realized it was time to redirect my goals. I will continue to struggle and suffer until I can increase endurance and strength so adding additional miles is pointless right now. It was time to let go of my goal of 40-miles by the end of August.
Coming to this decision did not make the rest of the ride easier. I grumbled all the way to the car. On several occasions I contemplated sending John to get the car and pick me up but my pride would not allow me to do this. As the wind picked up toward the end of the ride, John pulled in front of me. Instead of being my protector by riding behind me or my companion and cheerleader by riding beside me, he became a life savor by pulling me back to the car….at a painfully slow pace for him. I completed 28.25 miles, John, 55.75 miles.
I planned to take today off from exercise to formulate a training plan (it will include dreaded hill repeats) and rest my very tired muscles, but I really couldn’t sit still. I went out for a very short 1.5-mile run. After discovering that running is not completely compatible with an aging body, I don’t run much in the way of distance these days but it was nice to get out and feel the pavement under my feet….something I am doing a little more frequently.
