Fifty Plus (50+) - First Century of the Year........Horrific!

If I learned anything from yesterday's century it's to NOT do a longer ride with a sinus infection coming on. It was 25 degrees at the start but warmed up to the mid 40's with little wind all day. I decided to do the 100 mile loop in reverse from what we had been doing. I felt awful starting out but stopped at the 35 mile mark for a few minutes and felt okay over the next 35 miles. I stopped again at 70 miles for too long and got chilled. There were some other guys out riding and we talked for bit. The last 30 miles were as bad on a bike as I've felt in a long, long time.

I even stopped to call my wife to come get me but it had been so cold my cell phone would not work. So, I cruised in at a agonizingly slow speed. It was a great day to ride-sure which I felt better the whole way.

Forecast for next weekend is mid 60's. I thought it was January???

Hope you get over the infection quickly...take a rest day or no more than an easy recovery ride tomorrow...but, IMHO, do a short, easy recovery ride, rest and sleep all you can tomorrow.

JPPE,
Sorry that the sinus infection is coming on, they are a sure way to feel miserable. Just take care of yourself and don't let things get out of hand and be really sick.

Bill

I get sick a lot in the cooler weather we call "winter" out here. Yesterday I went on an 80 mile club ride which featured a 20+ mile climb into a cold headwind, the kind where you sweat and freeze at the same time. I kept all my layers on and don't feel too bad today, thankfully. If the rain stops I may go out for a ride.

If I learned anything from yesterday's century it's to NOT do a longer ride with a sinus infection coming on. It was 25 degrees at the start but warmed up to the mid 40's with little wind all day. I decided to do the 100 mile loop in reverse from what we had been doing. I felt awful starting out but stopped at the 35 mile mark for a few minutes and felt okay over the next 35 miles. I stopped again at 70 miles for too long and got chilled. There were some other guys out riding and we talked for bit. The last 30 miles were as bad on a bike as I've felt in a long, long time.

I even stopped to call my wife to come get me but it had been so cold my cell phone would not work. So, I cruised in at a agonizingly slow speed. It was a great day to ride-sure which I felt better the whole way.

Forecast for next weekend is mid 60's. I thought it was January???

Gee, I wonder why I suddenly feel less inclined to head out on a chilly century ride? :D

Seriously though jppe, I’d wager that you likely find it comforting to know that you were able to complete your century ride despite how cr$ppy you felt prior to the end. Congrats on pushing yourself to your century’s completion.

No matter how drained or muscle-cramping I may be after some of my hilly (5,000+ feet of climbing) century rides––ridden alternately via my 35 and 32 pound mountain bikes––I still feel better knowing that I was able to complete the entire distance under my own bio-power. I pride myself on remaining completely self-reliant, so I’ll never call anyone for assistance (don’t even own a cell phone and likely never will).

jppe, you are the stuff of which legends are made. You'd be a better rider dying of pneumonia than I would be at peak form.

BTW, I was treated for sinusitis with a gorillacillen for a month and I think it still didn't completely clear up. My internist says that kind of thing is pretty common.

The one piece about training that is often overlooked is the mental test it can put you through. It's times like Saturday's ride that I can fall back on when I'm doing rides in the future when things are going exactly to plan. Some times (it seems to be getting more often for me) that you just have to grind it out some way, some how.

... it had been so cold my cell phone would not work ...

:eek:

The one piece about training that is often overlooked is the mental test it can put you through. It's times like Saturday's ride that I can fall back on when I'm doing rides in the future when things are going exactly to plan. Some times (it seems to be getting more often for me) that you just have to grind it out some way, some how.

Absolutely right. Congrats on seeing it through to the end. I would say this century will rank with the ones you will talk about most into the future. It's odd how the really smooth and easy ones sort of become almost... forgettable... but the tough ones linger longer in the memory.

I am just glad you didn't use the words "suffer" and "sufferfest". ;)

I've now got interminable sinusitis thanks to an infected tooth last year. A course of gorillabotics didn't get rid of it, like Dudelsack's, so I just use a nasal spray now to get around 12 hours' relief.