It Was One of THOSE Days

Not every bike commute goes smoothly.  Sometimes Murphy’s Law seems to kick in. First, Michael hit the snooze button so I got up late. I was scrambling around trying to get ready to leave in 30 minutes. Not what I’d call a great way to wake up. Then I headed out and two miles in I got stuck waiting for this guy:

I didn’t think he could see me so I just stopped and waited while he backed in and out half a dozen times. I didn’t want to risk trying to get around him. Waiting made me anxious that I was going to be late to work (I wasn’t, but still…).

The rest of my commute was just “Blah.” I felt like I was really slow, like my legs weren’t working right. It was also gray and gloomy out–threatening rain at any moment. I got downtown and then I suddenly felt like I had a flat tire.

I seriously felt like I had a flat tire and I stopped to check, a feeling of dread coming over me. I would be stranded at work if I had a flat tire. 🙁 I couldn’t tell if it was flat so I continued on to work, just feeling grumpy in general about my performance.

Morning Stats:
Time: 58 minutes
Calories Burned: 446
Distance: 12.2  miles

They can’t all be winners. Cross your fingers the afternoon doesn’t bring me with a flat tire.

AFTERNOON COMMUTE

All day at work I obsessively checked my bike in the empty cube next to me. I walked by it at least two dozen times on my way to the printer throughout the day and would glance at the tire. Was it flat? Was there something wrong with it? Grrr!

Before I left work I ate half of my apple and a bit of cheese before changing for the ride home. It had sprinkled a little bit before I left but I did not get rained on. I crossed my fingers that the bike tires were okay and I headed home. I kind of wished I’d put on my arm warmers for the ride home. It was a bit chilly. The bike ride home felt slow–again, I felt like I had a flat tire and stopped to check a few times.

It wasn’t flat but there was something weird going on. I continued home, passing the scene of the crime of last weekend’s bee sting (luckily no repeats).

I made it up the few big hills with minimal effort. I was glad that despite my weird bike tire issues I could still ride alright. I got to the back road I take to our house. There’s this stretch where the bike path ends with absolutely no warning. There have been a few times where I was zoning out and caught myself just in the nick of time before totally crashing. Check this out:

Yep, it just ends into gravel. As a cyclist I have to pay much more careful attention to things on the road. Pot holes, tree roots, even small bumps or grooves in the pavement can send a cyclist crashing or flying through the air. Luckily I know my route pretty well so I know the pot holes, the tree roots in the Springwater Trail, the bad parts of the road that could cause accidents.

I got home and drank some chocolate milk as a snack. I was glad to be home and off the bike. It wasn’t the best bike ride ever.

Ride Stats:
Time: 55 minutes
Calories Burned: 421
Distance: 12.25

Total Distance for the Day:  24.45. Dinner was a salad with steak and veggies.

I will be sad when our garden is done for the season because I love having fresh veggies every day. Dinner was an easy one (just what I like after biking home from work). Michael did up our steaks and I steamed veggies. Since we’ve had so much lettuce and zucchini this summer I haven’t eaten cauliflower much. I have to say, I’ve missed it!

I was feeling pretty worn out and tired on Wednesday. We lounged around and watched TV most of the evening, which was fine by me. Especially splitting these with my honey:

I think my body is adjusting to the approaching Autumn. The dark mornings are making it difficult to get out of bed and when I get home I’m ready to just lay around. I miss summer already!

QUESTION: What was your highlight of the summer? What are you looking forward to this Fall?