22.4 miles – got my zest back!

22.4 miles, 2:23 rolling, 3:50 overall.

It’s been two weeks since my last ride (Tues Jul 17) and I think the time off did me a world of good. I felt stronger today than at any time this year, both in my muscles and in my overall stamina. Toward the end, my leg muscles felt tired – as though they were getting a real workout – but somehow it was a healthier feeling than it has been so far this year.

On hills, I actually felt like putting out, aerobically and leg-wise. On the whole ride, instead of husbanding my energy, I felt like cutting loose, and getting some exercise.

Whatever the mechanism, I was clearly more rested. Maybe it was the week of being off the bike and making minimal physical effort. Perhaps it was simply the break from routine, getting out of my rut. Not that music camp wasn’t demanding. For the whole six days, I was “on duty” from the moment my alarm went off until I turned in at night. Not a moment for woolgathering, and plenty of times when anxiety was running so high that I could feel it in my veins.

But there were many good strokes and moments of joy, and I think these tended to unkink me in a way I hadn’t been able to manage here at home.

I did the normal protein loading during and after today’s ride, but haven’t stretched. (It’s 5pm) and I may not get around to it.