Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Ride powered by Java


 
              Today is the ride I have been looking forward to the most:  climbing Elk Mountain fueled by a double dose of Java, Trader Joe’s Dark to be exact.   While performance drinks such as Red Bull and Gatorade get all the hype, good old coffee has the data to support its role as a performance booster. Coffee is not only a great source of caffeine, but it is also brimming with anti-oxidants.   In my estimation, man has evolved with coffee and for good reason.  After enjoying a second large cup of my favorite steaming libation, I am ready to hit the hills.  It is a nice cool morning, the sun is shining, and I feel great . . . until I start my ride.

                Five minutes into the ride, I can tell I am in for a struggle.   Where is the get up and go?  I feel flat.  I even have a bit of a headache.  I had assumed I would be more on the jittery side.  Despite my sluggishness, I push myself to go as hard as possible, but I can tell that I am fighting a losing battle.  Even the wild turkeys on the side of the road seem uninspired today.  I keep waiting for an energy surge to kick in.  Maybe a bear will pursue me.  Alas, it is not to be.  The entire ride is laborious.  As I near the half-way point, a rider passes me so quickly I feel I am going backward.  I attempt to keep him in my sights, but it is impossible on the curvy, climbing road.  Even the open glade with my dream property provides little respite.  It is probably because I know what lies just beyond:  the final, brutal ascent.   Amazingly, I finish strong.  Despite a strong finish, I am reluctant to see my final time.

                Thirty five minutes and twelve seconds.  Pitiful.  I have gone almost one and a half minutes slower than my baseline effort and a full three minutes slower than my personal best.  I have a hard time reconciling these results.   I am well rested, and my legs feel strong (at least they did prior to the ride).  I was well prepared, having done a couple of good rides during the week, and I had allowed myself the standard two days of rest.  Maybe Trader Joe’s Dark coffee is to blame.  Maybe I should have chosen Starbucks.

                I still have a headache when I arrive home.  Not a great start to the weekend.  Fortunately, I have my Bioflex magnetic headband (see picture at  http://www.explorationofalternativemedicine.com/).  After taking three ibuprofen, wearing the headband, and lying down for an hour. the headache is gone.   Could it be the magnets?

 

Next week . . . the final ride up Elk Mountain powered by Gatorade  G-Series Prime.

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