Recovery

I didn't realize how sick I was until I got home. I had the runs for another 6 days and didn't get my strength back for an additional week. I'm still not drinking alcohol for fear of more stomach problems. Apparently, there is a virus going around with all of the symptoms I posed. At least it wasn't caused by too much biking on an out of shape body!! Last weekend I went for an easy ride up the Springwater to Jazzy Bagels with Amy. The ride totally wore me out. The next day I played 3 sets of doubles and I was done by the 3rd set. The next day I couldn't do anything I was so exhausted. The recovery has been slow and I've had to be very patient. Finally, this weekend I did a 45 mile ride with a bunch of recumbent riders with no ill effects. It felt good to be out biking. These riders are very strong and they set a pace that was far beyond me. I started to get cranky thinking that if I was going to ride by myself I could have just ridden from my home instead of driving over an hour to meet everyone. But after an hour or so I looked down at my computer and noticed I was riding 3 mph faster than I normally do. I realized these riders were pushing me and I was responding. Riding by myself I typically ride in the 10 mph range. Yesterday, over a moderately hilly terrain I rode 12.2 mph average over 45 miles. Not bad - not bad at all!! The day was perfect for riding and the scenery was lovely. Most of it was the same route I took 2 weeks ago to the coast. This time we started just before Vernonia and rode to Birkenfeld for an all you can eat brunch buffet. I've been to this restaurant before and they do an outstanding job and serve a ton of food. All and all a good day!!