8-10-2010 WHAT I'VE BEEN MISSING

8-10-2010 WHAT I'VE BEEN MISSING

NOTE: this post is not about lymphoma, it's about riding a bike. Hopefully it's not too boring or repetitive.

So it's gotten to where I have only been biking about once a week. Which is no good.

I've either had work, blood draws, other commitments or bad weather the last couple weeks. I did get out Sunday and did about 15 miles. Last night we had a bunch of things going on. So I told myself that tonight I WOULD NOT BE DENIED!

Only it was freaking hot and freaking humid. But, that's exactly my favorite biking weather, strangely enough. As I was preparing to go, I had both, the missus and the motherinlaw (Jean) telling me I was crazy and I better not go too far IN THIS HEAT!

I wolfed down a quick snack of Cheddar Jack Cheezits and hit the road, with water bottles, cell phone and my sportiest shades.

When I got to the corner, I heard my neighbors Doug and Mandy yell at me from the comfort of their pool that I was crazy. Which I freely admit. The air WAS awfully heavy. But I felt really good and got a good cadence going. I made sure to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.

I took a favorite loop of mine, with some good hills. When I got to the river, I took a couple joyrides on a favorite climb. Then I rode into Millbrook and took a little rest in the bank parking lot.

98 degrees at 5:52. Humidity, simply ridiculous.



As I was guzzling water, another biker, young guy, rode by and pointed at me "You OK?".

Well hell yes, I'm OK. What? Does it look like I have cancer or something?



But I didn't say that. "Yeah, I'm good. Thanks for asking." Dude.

Nice of the guy to check. I didn't think I looked like I was in distress... just old.

Press on, regardless, that's the order of the day. From the bank it's on to Silver Springs, about 2 miles. And I'm cooking, figuratively and literally. This air is drank, not inhaled. It's hot and heavy I have to exert pressure from clear down in my lower abdomen to do the heavy lifting that breathing is on a day like today. I sail along.

I get to SS and I stop to drink some more. Then I decide I'll do a video with my cell phone so I can put it on my 'blog. Riding through the park is one of my favorite rides. There is a downhill section in the open, hard right, then a de-lightful cruise with some little bumps... now under a canopy of trees. Keep up a nice cadence and you can really haul.

Traffic is all one way, so no worries about oncoming cars. Then after a little while in the shade, you come out at a corner of one of the (Silver) springs and into the light. That part always makes me think of being born, into the light. Hard left and downhill, another left and fly right along, more springs on your left, the Fox on your right.

So I get the cell phone ready and take off... and run out of memory in about 4 seconds. I didn't get the video. But there's another one on youtube I took a few months ago if you'd like to see it (sound off the cellphone doesn't work right on youtube but you do get the visual):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NTOkEJ5chE

I cruise through the park, climb the hill back up and out, out the entrance right, right again, down the hill, cross the mighty Fox again, left on Millhurst, right on Burr Oak for the last hill. Like Jimmy Buffet, I "cruise on back home".

Legs are pistons pumpin', lungs are working hard and I feel great.

I wheel back into the neighborhood. Doug and Mandy are no longer in their pool. In my garage, I hop off my bike and just now realize that I am drenched in sweat.

18.386 miles in 1:16:19. About 14.5 MPH. Not great, but the old man feels a little younger right now.

That is WHAT I'VE BEEN MISSING. Wish you could come with me sometime. We'd have a blast.