Brings back old feelings...

The plan today was to get back home from Cleveland in enough time that I could do my long bike ride and run off the bike, which is called a "brick run". 

But before we left, I planned to shave my body, except for my head and under my armpits. I intentionally waited to do it at a hotel rather than at home because it's messy and requires lots of cleanup. In a hotel, we don't have to worry about fine-tuning cleanup or clogging our pipes with hair. 

I woke up and started shaving my legs first. On Friday, we went to Walmart and bought a hair trimmer. The process included two parts: the trimmer took off all the long hair, and the razor was used to get the smaller hairs. 

All in all, it took me about an hour. By the time I was done, my body had been transformed. It reminded me of the old days when I was an age-group athlete. 

The one big surprise I hadn't noticed with hair on my body was the bruises I got from the bike wipeout. It turns out I have a large bruise on my left hip and elbow. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but the hair on my legs was so thick that it covered it, and it was unnoticeable. 

A mistake I made was doing my butt. It turns out that as the day went on, it felt like cactus spikes and was uncomfortable to sit, and when I went for a ride later today, I could definitely feel it with cycling shorts on. Mental note, don't shave the butt. 

Foodwise, I had another good day. Even though we ate at restaurants for breakfast and lunch, I stayed on the plan with Oatmeal for breakfast and salad and chicken for lunch. 

On the drive home from Cleveland, with stops and food breaks it took us until 4 pm to get home. Leaving a good amount of time to get my bike and run session although it was still hot out, 32 C and with humidex 35 C. 

Before my run, I unpacked a couple of Amazon boxes that came while I was away. These boxes included Beta-Alanine and Glutamine for training. I've used them in the past, and they worked well, along with the C4 and post-ride protein powder. I need all the help I can get to get strong and reduce recovery time and injury potential. 

It's never easy, but I pushed myself out the door for my ride in the heat, and overall, it was an improved ride. I had another breakthrough and increased my average speed by another 1 km per hour to 24 kph. As I rode in the heat, I told myself that as hot as it is, I'd much rather ride in the heat than in the cool air. 

There was that one hill I was dreading that I barely made up on the last ride. This ride was another tough one, and I can't say it was easier, but I was able to do it. 

The only mishap I had on the ride was that one of my arm pads fell off, and now I only have one arm pad. I was going down a hill, and the wind took it, and at first, I didn't know what it was—something hit me in the stomach. I was perplexed at first, looking at everything and seeking nothing missing. I thought it was a bird or someone who threw something at me, and then I realized a few minutes later it was my Aero Bar armpad. 

Not that it matters on these early rides, as there is no way I could get aero, but it will definitely be an issue when I lose my gut and can get aero. I was going to drive back later tonight and see if I could find it, but I wasn't feeling well after the ride and figured I'd drive by tomorrow and see if I could find it. If not, I have something that will work, but it won't be pretty. It will look very trailer park and will probably have to be attached with electrical tape holding it in place. 

When I got home, I was tired. The neck was getting better from the rides and not as sore, but it was still sore. As part of the training, I had to run off the bike for 20 minutes. I changed into my running clothes and did not want to do it at all, but I pushed myself out of the house. 

I ran for about 100 meters, and it was more of a shuffle like a 90-year-old man. My heart rate was already in the 130s, and it was to be under 120 bpm for this run. So, to keep it low, for 95% of the run, I had to walk. Which I didn't mind, except it was still a workout. My upper and lower back were sore, and I was still getting benefits, as I knew the muscles would eventually strengthen. 

After I got home, I had some protein and then a baked potato, as per my diet. Actually, my diet says I should have three baked potatoes, but there was no way I could ea

I had more than one potato. I had a big one, and I was stuffed. It's interesting that even though I'm eating carbs, I'm still in a ketosis state. The weird part is that I'm getting into Ketosis faster with this diet, which includes carbs than I did when I was on an all-meat diet last year. 

For the rest of the night, I felt like I was in a semi-bonk state. It brought back old feelings, no different than the bike ride. When I was riding, even though it was much slower than I used to, I thought that if I didn't have a speedometer, I wouldn't think the ride was any different, as the effort, muscles, and level of fatigue seemed the same as in years past. 

The good news is that I'm not sure if it's just today, but I seemed to stop sweating in less time than in the past sessions. The other good news is I finished my second full week of training, a total of 7 hours and 55 minutes. The week before, it was 6 hours and 56 minutes. Not bad from drinking and eating at restaurants daily for the past year, or what I like to start a zero start to 100 mph. 

On a different note, I went through my Instagram feed and came across a photo that I swear was my doppelganger. Not my doppelganger now, but when I was in shape. I know who the guy is as I follow him in my feed, and he doesn't look like me, but in this case, with the glasses, I thought it was a pretty similar look, and so did Alice. The kids didn't, but you be the judge. 

Bike Ride - 1:22:22 -  33.03 km - 24.1 kph avg