A Flat! And Not a Musical Note .....

I was a bit stiff and sore last night, after my 64-mile ride, and briefly had painful cramps in the large muscle of my upper left leg. The bigger the muscle, the more painful the cramp, and I was making unhappy "ouch" noises while Audrey was asking me "what's wrong?"

Well, clearly, my command of speech while my brain is reeling from a leg cramps is limited. Eventually I managed to moan out the words "leg cramp," which I think were a relief to her since it's wasn't a heart attack.

So I wondered what the night and next day would bring. See photo of my tired face, taken during my final break yesterday before doing the last 11 miles of my ride. After that, I expected many physical problems--I have a touchy back which can get quite painful, and I thought walking would be a challenge today.

The night, surprise, surprise, brought a full 8 hours of restful sleep--not that normal for a mid-50s man. Our ability to sleep soundly does not improve with age, or at least mine doesn't. (And no, although it is true that I make more sound when sleeping now, that's not the same as soundly sleeping .....) But 64 miles will knock you out like a six pack, and there's far less danger of accidentally dampening the sheets.

And the morning produced another miracle. I was indeed stiff and sore, but I wake up almost every morning stiff and sore--another perk of middle age. I was not exceptionally stiff and shore, and after walking around and stretching, was ready for the short bike ride to the gym.

But, my bike had other plans, specifically, a flat tire in the front. My previous flats had been in the rear, so the bike maintenance problems are branching out.

Anyway, zero miles so far today. Going to do a little mechanical work--fix the flat and install a new mirror--and I hope to get a few miles in this evening. Wish me luck. My mechanical skills are like my innate musical talent--almost nonexistent, but if I keep pushing I can sometimes do something.

I guess an off day after yesterday is OK, although I did plan to go into work today. My mighty steed did not cooperate. More miles, and work, tomorrow!