Cure Found

I've figured it out! I realised why I was so tired. The cure to my 'illness' was only a bike ride away.

I left work yesterday with a desperate desire to go home and take a nap. Such a thought was quickly dashed as I stepped outside to an almost 60F, sunny day. Residing to take my road bike out when I got home, I started to feel more life entering my body. On the drive home I was sorting out all I needed to get together for the ride. I find during any commute I like to day dream whether it be how I want to landscape my yard, to which project I want to tackle in my house, to how I want to train during my rides. I love this time to get lost in my own head and I love it even more when the end result is exactly how I imagined.

With each organisational thought I felt more energised, so much so that by the time I reached the driveway it was as if I had downed a cup of espresso. I ran into the house put the dogs in the yard and proceeded to change into my Pearl tights (which after a winter of almost no riding are not very forgiving on my derier), threw on my jersey, gathered my tools/tire levers/spare tube/pump/water bottle/shot bloks (can't forget that), etc.

I think it took me maybe 10 minutes to gather it all together and by 15 minutes after I had gotten home I had the dogs back in and I was out the door again...

I can't tell if it was the weather or the actual ride, most likely a combination of both, but I felt incredible. Even today I am not tired at all, in fact I feel great! I was out for about 1 1/2 hours and tried to keep up a consistent pace in the big ring. I kept it up for most of the ride with the exception of a couple of big hills that I decided would be a good idea to tackle (my legs did not agree). On a trainer you can sprint, you can adjust slight elevations with blocks but you can't simulate hills. So, I figured I really needed to get some in while out on my ride. Yikes, it's sad to realise how much you lose during the winter if you don't have the ability to ride 'in the real world' versus the comforts of your living room while watching some B-rated movie.

The last road ride I had done outside was on January 7th, which is also Russian Christmas (I was commuting to work on my mountain bike - but mt biking in the snow doesn't count as you're only going ~5mph on average). After church my mom began cooking dinner and I decided, like the good daughter that I am, that I would just be in her way and my kitchen is small so instead I went for a ride. It was maybe 40F that day and sunny, the roads were dry and needed to be ridden on...what's a girl to do? Here I am almost exactly three months later.

I wanted to keep riding and I could have done an easy 50+ miles the way I felt but I had plans at 7:00 so I cut the ride a little shorter than I wanted to. The fulfillment is with me still today - which means that I will need to ride sometime tomorrow or I will start the steep slide into tiredness again. We can't have that now, can we?