Riding through sand
It’s been exactly three weeks since I finished the London to Paris ride and it would be a bit of an understatement to say I’m mentally distracted and physically sluggish.
I understand the distracted part… for the last ten months my mind has been filled with achieving that goal. In a way I scheduled my life around it. I was so focused; I needed to ride and that took precedence above everything in my personal life. That combined with work obligations left little time for anything else.
What is more frustrating is the way I feel on the bike. I’m sluggish and slow…like riding through sand. I certainly did not expect this after the way I rode those four days. Yes the days were hard but I finished each day feeling strong. And yes I was tired each morning but that’s to be expected with multiple hard effort days. I kept fueled and hydrated and there was never a time when I felt even the first inklings of a bonk coming on. After about 3o minutes each morning my legs loosened and i felt no pain, discomfort, or extreme fatigue. So what’s going on now?
Riding is my escape. It’s my time to relieve stress and recharge batteries that can become drained during the day. To struggle on the pedals for three weeks has not been fun. I NEED to ride.
Do I keep pushing through? Do I stay off the bike for a time? Is my head playing games with my legs? I have no point of reference here. I’ve never asked my body to perform like that before.
Or do I ignore all of this, hoping that the old saying of “this too shall pass” is right? If so, hurry up already. Patience is not my middle name.
In the meantime, if you see me on the streets of Chicago, I promise to move aside so you can fly past me. You’ll recognize me: I’m the girl on a bike made for speed and doing anything but that.
And while you’re passing, please be kind and give me a nod. It’ll help to know someone else just might understand what I’m feeling.
Tagged with: bicycle • bike • chicago • cycling • fitness • london • motivation • paris • ride • training