Mile One

It's the third of January and, yeah, I'm still sick. The weather hasn't been very nice over the past week. I don't think I've seen the sun since last weekend. It seems like it's just been nothing but cold, damp and dreary - at least that's what it's looked like through the window.  I haven't been doing much of anything except sitting around watching television and taking cold medicines that don't seem to help very much.

So anyway, I decided to ride out to the Giro Ride this morning. I had absolutely no plan to ride it, of course, but I thought it might do me good to at least get on the bike for an hour or so.  It night not have been the wisest decision, considering the cold air and all, but I went anyway, wrapped up in my winter jacket and shoe-covers. The only question after that was whether I'd ride with the group down to the end of Lakeshore Drive, or just go straight back home from Starbucks. I went with the latter.

Even at the conversational pace along Lakeshore Drive I could feel the cold dry air tearing at my lungs, and by the time I got home I couldn't take a deep breath without reflexively coughing. It's a lot like what happens sometimes after a very long, hot road race when I get dehydrated. I'm hoping it will go away eventually and not progress to pneumonia or something. This morning on the way out to the lake from Starbucks we saw them setting up the start for the 109th annual Jackson Day Race at Marconi and Robert E. Lee.  I guess they had to move it from the usual location over by Wisner because of the overpass being closed.

So anyway, my first ride of 2016 was a couple of days late and a few miles short, but at least I broke the ice, so to speak. After I got home Candy and the neighbors found an obviously lost dog who is now in the neighbor's back yard. Hopefully we can find the owner.

Not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow. It feels like I've missed my entire holiday vacation.