Yesterday I took another ride out to Point Lookout and back: 120 kilometers out and back.
The ride takes me along through the Rockaways and along the South Shore of Nassau County. The day was hot and sunny so, even though it was a Tuesday, the beaches were full of sunbathers, swimmers and people just hanging out. Others were hanging out on the boardwalk, where, interestingly, I saw more families (or, at least adults with kids) cycling together than I can recall from previous rides. I guess it's not a surprise when not only kids, but their parents (or other adults in their lives) are home.
One way this ride differed, though, was the way I felt at the end of it. My legs felt pretty good, and the pain in my neck and shoulders is dissipating. When I got home, however, I felt tired in a different way from the fatigue at the end of my last Point Lookout ride.
I felt woozy and very, very warm. Within seconds, it seemed, of sitting down, I fell asleep. About two hours later, I woke, with Marlee in my lap.
Today I realized that not only the heat, but the sun, had worn on me. Normally, at this time of year, I would be well-acclimated to both. But my layoff, in the wake of my crash, kept me indoors most of the time. And, of pedaling next to the ocean for much of my ride only magnified the sun's rays on my skin.
Just about every year includes a ride like the one I took yesterday. Usually, it's in mid- or late May, or possibly June. This spring, however, was (or at least seemed) cooler and cloudier than usual. I think I missed the first true summer weather when I was in the hospital, or during my time recuperating at home.
Oh, well. At least I don't have COVID-19. Not yet, anyway!
The ride takes me along through the Rockaways and along the South Shore of Nassau County. The day was hot and sunny so, even though it was a Tuesday, the beaches were full of sunbathers, swimmers and people just hanging out. Others were hanging out on the boardwalk, where, interestingly, I saw more families (or, at least adults with kids) cycling together than I can recall from previous rides. I guess it's not a surprise when not only kids, but their parents (or other adults in their lives) are home.
One way this ride differed, though, was the way I felt at the end of it. My legs felt pretty good, and the pain in my neck and shoulders is dissipating. When I got home, however, I felt tired in a different way from the fatigue at the end of my last Point Lookout ride.
I felt woozy and very, very warm. Within seconds, it seemed, of sitting down, I fell asleep. About two hours later, I woke, with Marlee in my lap.
Today I realized that not only the heat, but the sun, had worn on me. Normally, at this time of year, I would be well-acclimated to both. But my layoff, in the wake of my crash, kept me indoors most of the time. And, of pedaling next to the ocean for much of my ride only magnified the sun's rays on my skin.
Just about every year includes a ride like the one I took yesterday. Usually, it's in mid- or late May, or possibly June. This spring, however, was (or at least seemed) cooler and cloudier than usual. I think I missed the first true summer weather when I was in the hospital, or during my time recuperating at home.
Oh, well. At least I don't have COVID-19. Not yet, anyway!
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