In Which the Lake Race Caused Cramps

May 7 around 7:30 p.m., I'm heading home from MMU, but taking the longer route on the Cedar River Trail. Cedar Lake glows.

My goal Sunday was, despite being busy (I mowed, trimmed some bushes, wrote a quiz, graded some presentations, worked in the campus newspaper office for several hours), to get to 20 miles on my bicycle.

Luckily, I was riding the weekend bike Argent, so I actually had a measure of the distance using the bike's computer. I went about 21 miles total in several rides.

The longest was when I was headed home late in the day from the Mount Mercy campus. I swung by Cedar Lake and started going north. A young couple on hybrid bikes went by me as I photographed the lake, and on my road bike I overtook them as we headed north.

And then they overtook me. And then I overtook them. And then they overtook me.

I finally decided it was not worth it, but I was still close enough to them to witness their close encounter with a deer on the other side of the railroad overpass between Collins Road and Blair’s Ferry.

And that night I paid a price. I was up late prepping for Monday, and when I finally got to bed, I was up again. Leg cramps in the big upper muscles of both legs.

Well, shoot. I’ll have to ride more 21-mile days—the Bookworms on Bikes ride is coming up the first Saturday in June—but I’ll have to remember never to race young people on bikes. Or middle aged people. Or old people.

Just don’t do it.

Monday morning May 8. Rockwell-Colllins pond looks quite nice.

Anyway, pretty days this week so far—some rain in the wee hours Tuesday, but otherwise it has been cool in the morning and pretty in the afternoon, just as an Iowa spring should be.

I’ve been enjoying and photographing the pond at Rockwell-Collins on C Avenue, as well as Cedar Lake. I want to enjoy the views and the exercise, but skip the leg cramps, please.

It's that time of year. Cedar Lake, May 9. Geese are in a hissing mood, kids make them cranky. thank goodness ducks just swim quietly around.