Vultures Circle Around Me Overhead!

They circled overhead waiting for me to take my last gasp of air and drop… but first, Upon checking the weather this last weekend things did not bode well for a ride with Boba Fett (My Bicycle) Moreover Monday had rain in the forecast as well and the weekend started each day near freezing.

It’s odd how I’m out of balance. The nutritional wallop per calorie of my foods have jumped yet also somehow the caloric intake. My exercise has increased yet my weight has creped up. First I nail caloric eating… then loose it, then healthy eating and exercise but way too much caloric intake, yet I need the whole package at once.

Well my new kick in Bicycling involves balance, perhaps it will transcend into my diet. But back to the Vultures. Sat I got in some casual walking window shopping but Sunday I couldn’t help that urge. I have a bike a thon to train for and I need endurance. I waited for temps to hit the mid to upper thirties and bundled up for a bicycle ride. Those of you who have read my blog for any time know I do nothing “lightly”, I have the extremes of an artist. Naturally I figured I’d just do ten miles on the bike to prove I could do it and just get that psychological hurdle out of the way.

I chose the most level direction I could from my home and started peddling. Now armed with a speedometer I thrilled myself in seeing a cruising speed between 8 to 10 miles and hour. I laughed then wheezed after thirty seconds in and wondered what was wrong with my speedometer as those MPH numbers started dropping . It wasn’t the bike’s speedometer that was defective. I gritted my teeth and pressed those pedals, stopping a block after that to see if I had enough air in the tires… thinking that must be the reason for the sluggish performance. Then I realized it was… um… me.

Don’t question my will though!!! I got back on and all I focused I was just thinking going five miles away from my house… then all I needed to do was turn around and come home. Simple huh? I started out toward the outskirts of town. Near the airport there isn’t a lot of buildings. In fact it got sort of creepy quiet at cloud cover moved in. I couldn’t help but think this was just the way that those horror movies start, alone near the woods away from everyone… Then these huge birds started circling high over head above me. I wondered if they could smell the end was near for me.

Nightmares continued as winds decided to howl pushing me sideways and at 35 degrees and me sweaty massive bone jarring chills ran through me. I had to stop exhausted near a big rock to sit and rest. I kept my helmet and goggles on, if I did drop at least those birds would have to work for their meal!!! The great thing about panicking is that adrenaline does wonderful things. I decided to turn back and suddenly I was hauling at 12 MPH, then even a peak at 16! It was either panic or the fact I had the wind at my back and I was now going down a slight incline rather than fighting up a tiny slope.

Back at the safety of civilization (a mall) I took another breather, this time a lot longer clutching my water bottle like a little kid hugging their teddy bear. I was about three quarters the way home and I got to go down the “friendly” hill (I call it because it has a restaurant by that name at the top.) My new speed record downhill is 25.5 mph! I think I could have gotten past 30 put I was hard on the brakes in fear. (BTW- this is not the terror hill that feels like a cliff I mentioned some posts back… I have yet to make it up the Belnap mall hill one which was in the other direction)

So in the end… I survived climbing two small hills without stopping on either of them, 11 miles, and vultures. Now I just got to do it without 3 rest breaks and taking all day to do it.

At Foolsfitness we are masters in two wheel anarchy!- Alan