Peanut Butter and Jelly Legs

Jerry and I took a little ride this morning. We left from our house-- an unusual occurrence, rode through the Canal, onto the freeway for one exit, and around China Camp. It was only 16 miles, but I really felt it.

Not sure what the cause was, but we did put a new seat on the tandem this morning. A Selle San Marco that is supposed to be wonderful. I'm willing to give it some more time, but we raised it a bit and I was still feeling sore in my you know where parts and my shoulders. It might need some more adjusting, though I'm not convinced that a seat exists that will make me comfortable.

Around five miles from home I felt like I had really run out of steam. I had two pieces of toast with peanut butter and jelly, so there's no reason I would have run out of fuel, but the last couple of climbs-- and they are not very big climbs-- felt really difficult.

It was also a coldish, clammy day. I was wearing new-to-me Sugoi long bike pants and a new-to-me yellow and black long-sleeved, fairly heavy weight Pearl Izumi jersey. I'm proud to say the total cost for both was around 10 bucks. I do love Goodwill! Both looked as if they'd never been worn, though I did throw them in the wash before I wore them.

After the ride when I was stripping off my bike gear, it was obvious from my sports bra that I had sweat! This is a big deal for me and made me extremely happy. Sometimes, even on the hottest days, I barely perspire. I think there's something a little wacky about my internal thermostat. It almost caused heat stroke on a hot ride to Petaluma. So I was more than pleased to see the wet spots on my bra.

Sharing my joy, I hopped in the shower with Jerry, who was already lathering up. We made sure all our parts were squeaky clean, then I got out so he could shave.

I believe the answer for me, to increase my stamina, is cross training. I have a Pilates dvd I should find and use.

What I will be doing the rest of the day is baking two loaves of bread and roasting a chicken for dinner. I made a batch of pesto the other day, and I'm thinking of pesto mashed potatoes, or more simply, throwing it on some orzo as a side dish. We've got lovely cherry tomatoes, and I thought I'd cut them in half, toss them with balsamic vinegar and maybe some garlic, as a side.