15-mile Bike Ride and the Aftermath

I'm still struggling, but I can't escape this slump because my car is still in the shop. All I can do is go out for a walk when I feel restless and listless. It is a good thing then that the neighborhood is walkable. The tree-lined streets make it easier to walk out and ramble on whenever I feel like. It doesn't bring me the Novelty Effect -- I've been in this neighborhood for over 5 years now -- but it still improves my mood, however briefly.

It's been over 2 months by now since I ran the car into a ditch. They finally got all the parts they need and about to begin the repair work. But they are not in hurry. They have all the business they can handle, and they are taking all the weekends and holidays off. Then they shut down the shop for 2 days last week to remodel the floor. The upshot is that I'm not likely to get my car back for at least another week.

I've been doing my best to stay in shape with 4x1 block jogging ever since the ski season was over in April.  I had to give that up because I was struggling through the pollen season. Then I finally got out of the pollen-induced struggle in the middle of May, and it was time to over-do as I usually do whenever I feel better. I went on a biking, thinking that I'd go Tower Bridge by the river. Then I remembered that REI had a sale, and that was a good excuse to ride all the way. I kept going with only one break in Discovery Park. I returned with nothing to show for it, again with only one break. The 15-mile ride took only about 2 hours. That's about 3 times as fast as the first 15-mile ride I did back in 2018.

The recovery from the ride was typical of the recent pattern: I stayed upright and functional the next day, and then the struggle started day after. On the 3rd day, I got tired of the struggle and went out for a walk, thinking that maybe I could exercise my way out of the post-bike PEM hole. I ended up walking 2.5 miles. Then the struggle continued for 3 more days after that. The more things change, the more remains the same: it was obvious that I still can't exercise my way out of PEM. That extended my Spring struggle from April to end of May with only a few respites.

I'm eager to get back on the road. I'll hit the road running, hopefully, as soon as my car comes back from the shop. I have already bought most of the things I need for the new season -- no idea why I need more stuff every season, but I do -- and now I'm debating if I need a drone. I'll be telling my story with film this time and drone footage would add a visual interest to the story. Investing $1000 just to tell a story seems an overkill though. I still have a few more days at least before my car comes back. I'll think some more and decide. 

April Struggle

 Since Apr 3, I've been crapping out in the afternoon, practically every day. 21 days out of 30, to be precise. In March from 3/3 to 4/2, on the other hand, I was knocked out only in 10 afternoons.  I've been struggling twice more often in April than March. If I compare it to the period from 3/7 (when I recovered from skiing in Heavenly on 3/2) to 4/2, it is 3 times the struggle. 

So, I went over the data going back to 2018 to see if this has been the pattern. In 2018, there had been quite a bit more of red days from late April to Early May. In 2019, it was the first half of April. In 2020 though, the pattern wasn't as discernible. I think that could be because I skied hard at Sugar Bowl, and I was crapping out starting in January/February. Then the struggle continued into March/April pollen season. Still, there were more of red day in Mar/Apr than there were in Jan/Feb.  Then, in 2021, it was red all over in March.  

2022 was again inconclusive. The Electric Hobo Season 1 was concluded in November 2021 and then the Season 2 started in April of 2022. That may have overpowered the effect of pollens in 2022. The Season 3 could have started in April this year also, if the car weren't in the shop. It's been almost a month since it went in, and they are still waiting for the parts. It'll be 2 more weeks before I get it back.

So, yeah, there appears to be a pattern: I do worse in March/April/May compared to January/February/March. That coincides with the pollen allergy season. The pollen this year is particularly bad, thanks to so much Winter/Spring rain. That could explain why the MECFS struggle this season has been more pronounced.