Saturday, June 23, 2012

11.6 miles; head feels clearer!

It was raining until after noon, but then things opened up and I decided to squeeze in a ride between the thundershowers predicted by Accuweather.  About six miles out, it began to sprinkle and I saw black clouds ahead.  I had planned to stop off at Ace Hardware for some shopping, but the black clouds deterred me.  My legs felt a little tired and I didn't feel like standing around in the store and then riding hard in the rain to get home.  So I didn't stop off.

To my surprise, at 9.5 miles my legs started feeling stronger, as though they had just gotten warmed up.  I was comfortable the rest of the way home.

And I realized my head seemed clearer.  I'm not sure when this happened.  But I remember feeling distressingly fuzzy-headed yesterday for most of the day -- as if I were encased in a blubbery face, or something.  A little like being under water.  I thought it might be dehydration, and I remember drinking a lot of water, then, but I don't remember whether it helped or not.

So my (relative) clear-headedness today may be attributable to adequate hydration?  Or aerobics?  Or both?

I'm inclined to attribute it to aerobics, primarily.

I may have to settle for two rides a week.  I'd rather it be three, not only because I think it would help keep my head clear, but also because I feel the frequency is important for bathing my knees in synovial fluid.  At this point, though, it looks as if I may need three rest days between each ride day.  That would actually be fewer than two rides a week.

So we'll see how this recovery goes.  I had a yogurt crepe and two scoops of Recoverite right after my ride, but I didn't stretch.

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