A year ago, I wrote about August 2018 statistics from Strava, the fitness tracking application. For want of anything better to share, I’m doing it again. Oops!
What Goes Up Must Come Down
July was awesome, the best month of the year. I traveled 539 miles total biking and walking; in August I did 359. I only covered 9,855 feet of elevation, too, and I’m usually about 12-13,000. That’s a pretty big reversal, as I mentioned in my last post. Interestingly, I took off 11 days last year, in August 2018, too. So the daily average for the 20 days I did ride is 14.7 miles per day, as opposed to 16 last year. That’s not too far off, really.
On the other hand, I did still get out of bed, off the couch, and so on to complete the miles I did. I’m always proud and happy when I do something, but also driven to do more and improve. But sometimes life has other plans. Health, jobs, relationships, finding and moving into a new living situation that’s actually affordable — these are all challenges. I just try to work through them as best as I can, and trust something works out.
What’s In a Mile?
Well, besides 5,286 feet? Well, effort it takes to travel it, biking, walking, etc. Strung together with other miles, you start to fatigue physically and mentally. So it’s helpful to stay fresh, and one of the best ways to find out if you really liked it or wanted is to take a break. If when you go back you dread it, then you either need more time off or to really examine whether you’re doing the right activity.
Second Hottest August Ever in Austin
Only four of 31 days were under 100 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s a record, according to this article in the local paper. So it wasn’t just my imagination; it was really friggin’ warm out there. This is not an excuse, because many people tolerate the heat better. But it is a reason. Being a fathlete does make heat-resistance tougher, for me at least. And the other effects — sunburn, dehyrdation, desire to do nothing except sit in cold air conditiong, and a odiferous stench worse than Phoebe Buffet’s mythical Smelly Cat on Friends — are all very real.
In the end, my stats show that I still rode my bicycle, because I had to, and I also wanted to. I found a way, but Mother Nature is playing with house money, and she always wins. Always! September is already a week in and still plenty of heat. That plus being busy doing stuff may continue to cut into my mileage goal. And that is, as they say, what it is. Soon I hope to be back out there cranking the miles away. We shall see.
Stay cool, everyone!
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