Like finding a needle in a hay stack...

I moved around my schedule and moved yesterday's bike ride to today's. The main reason was the weather. It sucked outside yesterday, it was too cold, and I don't like riding in the cold, especially if it's summertime. I'm a warm-weather rider. The hotter the better. 

This morning, I woke up thinking that perhaps I would do an early morning ride, but the temperature looked a little too cool. So, I decided I'd do it after work or if I could get a break in the action during lunch in the early afternoon. 

It turned out that early afternoon worked out, which is great as there is less traffic, and the weather was perfect at 79 F. It was also windy, and I don't mind the wind. I've learned to love it. After telling myself for four years that I loved the wind every time I rode, my subconscious eventually started to believe it, and now I love the wind. 

Prior to my ride, I took my beta-alanine, C4, and Glutamine, as I have found in the past that they give me more strength for better workouts. 

On this ride, I felt much stronger than I had felt during the previous ones. I can tell I'm getting stronger and improving. My time was about the same as my previous ride, but the conditions were more difficult with the wind, especially on the way back when I was going up hills with the wind in my face. 

A big win on today's ride was finding my aero bar arm pad, which I lost on Sunday when it blew off my aero bar. I wasn't hopeful I'd find it, as it looked like the city cut the grass on the side of the road, and I assumed if it was even there, at one point, the lawnmower blades would have cut it up. 

I was wrong. As I rode, I saw this black item on the side of the road and realized, "Hey, that's my arm pad," and it was sitting nicely right beside the road. I stopped, doubled back, picked it up, and put it in the back of my jersey. Winning. 

My sore neck is improving, but I still get sore on the ride. I'm hoping it will eventually go away, and starting to do some regular strength training will help. 

After the ride, I was back at work, and by 4 p.m., I was tired and starting to get irritable. The ride took a lot out of me, which was a little surprising, but it was a good thing as it meant I gave it some good effort. 

Today, I took my blood pressure, and it's much better than before and in line with what it should be. I also noticed that my resting heart rate is coming down. It was 55 bpm, and weeks prior, it was in the sixties. 

Bike Ride - 1:02:52 - 25.42 km  - avg pace 24.3 km