Maybe biking 102 miles in 5 days in cold, grey and at times very windy conditions with my, Sophie’s and backpack weights combined, not lubricating the chain since the rain until Wednesday at Yellow Bike Project, a rear disc brake caliper that was rubbing on the rotor and slowing me down til Brandon figured it out at Sun & Ski Sports last night, plus being low on sleep and other stuff has something to do with being very tired. Nah, those are excuses. I think the reason is alien abductions. All their probing, er, I mean, questions are exhausting!  Point being, I’m biking alot to make my upwardly revised goal, and I’m tired.  But not too tired to complain — I mean write about it in my blog — and share some more photos and statistics.

Biking Daily & Looking Forward to Some Rest

Here’s Part 1 of my 22-mile ride on Strava.

The thing about riding my bike every day for a over a month is that I both get stronger and weaker.  It’s ironic, but true.  However, rest is very important for being able to repair and build muscle, so I’m not really following my own advice from a previous post.  So I am making it harder than need be.  But since I started the year with anemia and had to dial back several times due to various ailments, it’s crunch time to make this new goal.

So I guess I’ll just have to rest as I can.  The occasional nap is a nice thing as on ages.  As a kids, many of us fought naps.  However, it’s getting very hard to get out the door and onto the bike, so I end up riding at night.  This is not ideal although when the streets aren’t full of cars that is one advantage.  The main thing is that I’m riding, but mornings might be better.  Until I have to readjust my schedule for work, or can wake up with the sun naturally, I’ll ride when I can.  Besides, goals are not meant to be easy.  If they are, you probably aren’t challenging yourself very much.

Holiday Lights Are Nice

I’m not a big holiday dude, but I do enjoy the pagan aspects of winter or yule, whatever that is.  Trees, wreaths, candles, and the safer modern equivalent, electric lights.  Austin commandeers Zilker Park south of downtown for the Trail of Lights.  Tonight on a whim I headed down there.  As usual, anything cool has swarms of thousands of people.  The park was blocked off to cars, though, so I carefully wove my way around the pedestrians.

Avoiding the entry fee and having to walk a long way with my bike, or risk locking it with my skinny cable and having it stolen, I hung outside and took these photos.  Sophie enjoyed people-watching and viewing from a distance.  There are plenty of other light displays in the area but there is one particularly funky one on 37th Street.  People decorate their yards and houses in some pretty whimsical and creative ways.  I hear it has had a comeback, so hopefully I can go by there and share more photos in the next week or so.

Here’s Part 2 of my 22-mile ride on Strava.

Some Strava Statistics Show Struggle

If there’s one thing I’ve learned to do on a bike, is to suffer.  Some say it’s the essence of cycling.  That’s only partially true.  There is the childlike enjoyment, youthful liberation, and maturing independence that all stages of life accommodate cycling, if one is fortunate enough to be able to physically do it.  So far, I still can, some days just barely, others alot better.  These two Strava screenshots demonstrate the daily effort I put in this week Monday – Friday (and I ain’t through yet).  You can see the time is 10 hours.  I wish I could say the phrase attributed to the sole American to legally win the Tour de France.

“It doesn’t get any easier, you just get faster.”

–Greg LeMond

I like to change faster to fatter, or older, because that seems true.  But that doesn’t hold me back, and it shouldn’t hold you back either.  Plenty of people are way faster than I, and that’s quite alright.  I’m much faster than I used to be just sitting on my arse on the sofa.  Which I’m now going to do because I’m tired.  But first, tonight and every night I go out and bike when I don’t feel like it, I win.   Fatigue 0, A Dude Abikes 22.  Miles, that is.

I’m tired,
Tired of playing the game
Ain’t it a crying shame
I’m so tired
God dammit I’m exhausted

––Madeline Kahn as Lili von Shtup in Mel Brooks‘ classic film Blazing Saddles

• What do you do to overcome fatigue when you want or need to go somewhere by bike or do other exercise?
• Any tips or tricks for better sleep and rest that work for you you’d care to share?

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