2 More Commutes

Monday was a very good day to bike to work, and I did. Early morning temps were in the mid-60s, expected highs in the low 80s,and no significant wind was expected all day. Ran into a fellow commuter cutting through Sage, and when he heard I'd come from Rotterdam, he was amazed. Doesn't seem like that big a deal to me anymore. Uneventful trip in both directions.

Tuesday was another sunny dry day, but morning dew points were up a bit, and highs in the mid-90s were expected. The morning ride in was easy as usual, but coming home was hot, hot, hot! A headwind is a blessing and a curse on days like this - it has a cooling effect, but also requires more effort to continue forward progress. I drank a liter of salt-laced Gatorade over the 16-mile trip, and still got close to some leg cramping. I think in the summer, I'm going to forego this salt-free lifestyle, and revert to older times. I never had this problem before I cut down on salt. Go back to "normal" intake, monitor BP, and see if biking performance improves.

Wednesday had a threat of thunderstorms late in the day, and was forecast to be in the mid 90s again with significantly higher humidity, so I drove in. On a shorter commute, the chance of a storm in any given 20-30 minute period is much less than in my 90-minute period. And with the length of time required to get from work to home, daylight could become an issue if I decided to wait it out. So the 30-40% threat of a late-day storm gets multiplied by a bit as a result of those considerations. As it turned out, I drove through one HELL of a thunderstorm between 5pm and 6pm on the Thruway, which would have nailed me for certain had I been on the bike. Torrential downpours and a wild lightning display. I made the right choice.

SWC ride Thursday evening near Saratoga, in the hills east of Saratoga Lake, with cooler drier conditions expected.