Over the weekend, I put in fewer miles (kilometers) than I'd planned. But I got more Vitamin D.
So how are they related?
Friday was like much of this Snpring, to date: cloudy and chilly. I went for a late-afternoo ride and in Bensonhurst, near my old stomping grounds, was "stomped" by a sudden, violent storm. I don't mind riding in the rain, but I draw the line when I can't see to the next block. The rain--and, I believe, some hail--came down in a cascade that rivals anything you'll see on this side of Niagara.
Some time during the wee hours of morning, the sky cleared--and the temperature climbed, it seeemed, even faster than the rain fell. By mid-afternoon, the temperature reached 33C (92F) in Katonah. I'd swallowed the contents of my water bottle and bought another in the town--and another in Morris Bronx, Bronx, even though I was less than 45 minutes' ride from home.
Yesterday was just as hot, and the sun just as intense, as it had been on Saturday. But I'd stayed close to bodies of water: the East River, Jamaica Bay and the ocean. Of course, plenty of other people, on foot or bikes or scooters, did the same. While riding along the shore wasn't quite as sweaty as Saturday's ride, I still felt the effects of the heat and sun because, I realized, I hadn't acclimated to either.
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| Not my leg, but close enough. |
In a "normal" year, the temperature and sun's intensity increase gradually, so my body--especially my skin--has a chance to adjust. But literally overnight, from Friday to Saturday, the season changed directly from early-spring to early-summer, or so it seemed. The past weekend reminds me of rhe time, a few years ago, I "bonked" on routine ride: Cold gray air had turned incandescent within a day and burnished my flesh with the hue of a heritage tomato.
At least I didn't burn quite as badly this weekend: I remembered to use sunscreen. Even so, I could feel the effect of the sun and heat: I was tired, more tired than I would normally be after riding at this time of year.
But I probably took in as much Vitamin D durng my rides as I got from the cheese I ate afterward. I enjoyed both.
