Back in the Saddle, Again

It was a short ride this morning but it was a start.

A tight schedule limited it to 15 minutes. My goal speed is to average 10 MPH and while the GPS says I covered 2.26 miles, if you do the math you’ll see I fell a tad short. But for the first time out in over two years (!), I’m happy.

Early morning is the only time to ride. Somehow the temperature is up again, almost to 100 degrees by mid-afternoon. I don’t know if this is a record for mid-October but we’re sure tired of it. In the mornings, however, it’s in the 50s and 60s.

Excellent!

Most of my rides target a duration of 30 minutes. At the above average speed, that let’s me cover about 5 linear miles. Fortunately, with the number of alternative routes we have in this residential area, I rarely need to cover the same ground coming back as I do going out.

On the weekend when I can afford more time “in the saddle”, an hour-long ride is really wonderful. There are a couple of golf courses with paved paths open to riders and the combination of green grass and the water needed to keep it that way makes for a very refreshing fragrance.

My primary care physician is also a bike rider and he lives about a mile east of us. On rare occasion I’ll see him peddling around the neighborhood.

I do the exercise for a couple of reasons. First, I enjoy the break, the change of scenery, the cool of the morning. Second, it’s good cardio work.

But as a weight-loss activity, I’d have to say it’s a bust. What I burn in calories is more than made up by what I’ve been eating when traveling the world on company expenses.

Less pasta, more pedal?