Been There, Done That. Again

The summer was officially over last week. But it still was 96F on Wednesday and it wasn't  going to be over till I squeezed in my last bike ride for the summer. It was a bridge to bridge ride starting from Guy West bridge to Harold Richey Memorial, for the total of 12 miles, round trip.

View From Harold Richey Memorial Bridge 

This was my 4th 10+ mile ride. Before, I'd stop for nooks and crannies and walk down to the river for  dipping. This time, I stopped only for the rest breaks. Which should've made the ride easier; it is the stop and go that takes a lot out of you, not the slow ride on flat terrain. But I was blacking out by the time I got to the destination bridge. That was only 5 miles. I was spent by then and I had to take breaks every 1.5 miles on the way back.

Before, I was blacking out after 10 miles. And that was after the ordeal of cutting through thicket on sand and taking a spill on gravel. The first 2 times I did not suffer post-exertional struggle either and I was sleeping 6 hours afterwards. The last 2 times I was sleeping 8 hours for 3 days in a row, as I usually do when I'm struggling.

The thrill of biking the river trail was obviously gone and my performance was halved. The novelty affect is alive and well.