Yesterday was gorgeous. (It was another case of Upstate NY going right from Winter to Summer without an interstitial season.)
There was some rain and humidity in the morning (which made my run fun) but by the afternoon, it was sunny, breezy and 82.
I had promised TEA that I would see him at his baseball practice so I figured, gorgeous day, I am going to ride my bike.
According to Google Maps, it is fourteen miles, so not that far, and I have been on my bike for that mileage amount already this spring, (More on this, later.) and I would have about ninety minutes of down time to relax before I rode home. Perfect, right?
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Now, I have done a couple of ten to fifteen mile rides this spring, mostly on back roads in the country, with no worries about traffic, and not down Rt. 7. This was mistake #1. It has been a chilly spring so far so I had not had to worry about overexerting myself. This was mistake #2.
The combination of mistakes one and two taught me something. I have to build up to riding in traffic when it is warm out because my lungs and diesel exhaust do not mix all that well. (Or not at all, to be honest.)
The ride down to the Green Island Bridge was fine, enjoyable even. I was simply happy to be out in the sun and on my bike. I did notice that most of the drivers were willing to share the road even though some of them were in obscenely large SUVs and oversized pickup trucks (normally two groups of drivers who have not been kind...that being said, the only time I have been hit was that SUNYA Honda Accord) but there was a good bit of exhaust in the air.
Once I crossed into Watervliet and was doing more riding with traffic, I noticed that the air quality was getting worse and the weather was getting warmer but I was feeling good. There was the issue with a nasty headwind (I have noticed that as the tide comes in most afternoons, the wind picks up in a South to North Direction, meaning that if I were going home, it would be awesome, but I was...headed south.) that was slowing my MPH down to a level that was not entirely awesome. (It was cut in half. I generally move at 13-15 mph and I was getting 7-9 into the wind.)
I made it to the start of the Corning Preserve trail in Watervliet and the wind picked up even more. I was peddling hard but not making any real progress and I was getting tired. Half way along the trail, I felt blackness appear in my peripheral vision (yeah, I know felt seems like an odd word choice, but I did not see it happening so much as my vision was tunneling...there were star bursts as well) and I realized that I was going to pass out. I pulled the bike off the trail, and then...
EVERYBODY OUT. I became that guy. (Yes, some of you reading this are saying to yourselves, "You are already that guy, you superficial douche.") (This is when I took a minute to complain to Facebook and Twitter about the headwind.)
I cleaned my mouth out, had a piece of gum and thought about what I should do. I was half way to no where. My decision was, continue to Albany and avoid disappointing my son again, or go home, and try to find the fastest way back to Albany to see TEA.
I decided to press on. I kept it slow, and just enjoyed the ride, turning off my GPS and the functionality of knowing how fast I was going. It was about the journey and the destination but I had a lot of time and I wasn't going to force myself. The ride was very enjoyable.
But then...Madison Ave. I made another choice. I walked my bike to the Hill Street from the corner of South Pearl and Madison, had a glass of water and enjoyed some of my "bar friends" for about fifteen minutes and then rode up the hill and to TEA's practice.
(TEA did well, and he can still hit anything that comes near the plate, but he does need to work on his throwing and catching.)
I did make it back home after practice with an assist from my brother, but...I am too damn old to go and do this without training properly. I am never going to learn my lesson, am I?
