When I walked Shelbie this morning, it was sunny and calm, with a temperature of about 48º Fahrenheit. Things looked good for my bike ride out of Arlington in an hour or so. On the way to Bowie High School, clouds moved in. It was quite sudden. From no clouds we went to nothing but clouds. The wind also picked up. I cursed the cycling gods, but there was nothing I could do about it. When I set out on the bike, shortly after nine o'clock, I was chilled by the southerly wind. I told myself that it could be worse: It could be raining.
You guessed it. About one hour into the ride, it began to mist. The mist eventually turned to drizzle. I had to stop a couple of times to wipe moisture off my glasses. By the time I reached the southernmost point of the course, the precipitation had stopped. By then, I had warmed up and wasn't feeling chilly. It remained cloudy during the entire ride, though the sun peeked out a couple of times. Shortly after I got home, the sun came out. It's now sunny and 73º. That's Texas weather for you!
I rode 53.05 miles in 3:15:18, which is an average speed of 16.29 miles per hour. I went six miles farther and a bit faster than two weeks ago, on roughly the same course, so I guess I'm progressing. Despite the dreary weather, I had fun. I listened to music on my Microsoft Zune, thought about philosophical and other topics, and enjoyed the Texas scenery. (Most of the trees are without leaves.) There's a hill on the course called Mountain Peak. I always chuckle about it. Coloradans wouldn't consider it a hill, much less a mountain.
My hour splits were 16.01, 14.57, 18.05, and 17.33 miles (the latter the average speed for 15:18). My average heart rate was 108 and my maximum 141. I burned 2,882 calories. My maximum speed was 29.7 miles per hour. I hope we have glorious sunshine next week, because I want to keep improving my strength and endurance. (In addition to cycling, I run 4.3 miles three times a week. I also do sit-ups, push-ups, and bicep curls every day.)
Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. 