Today I had a five and half hour bike ride on my schedule.  As I left my house, I was excited for the ride and to evaluate my new saddle.  Thirty minutes later however, I could already start to tell that if I completed this workout, I might be digging myself into a hole.

I rode from home to the local park.  Even though most of the way there is down hill, I wasn’t feeling particularly good.  My quads felt very fatigued and it was clear that my new saddle needed a slight adjustment.  Unfortunately, I had forgotten the Allen wrench to adjust the saddle.  There was no way I was riding the whole workout without adjusting the saddle, so I needed to turn around and go back home..

I got home and was already quite tired.  I had been riding for just over an hour.  After adjusting the saddle, it was a lot more comfortable, but I was still not feeling great.  I had a decision to make… should I finish the workout or adjust?

I actually decided to delay making the final decision.  The first three hours of today’s ride were relatively easy effort.  Knowing that sometimes my legs can come around, I said I would ride for three hours and then decide.  

When the three hour mark came along, I knew my answer.  Don’t finish the workout!  Finishing off with two hours of hard interval riding was not the right thing to do today.  I left the park and went home.  Just after I got home, the heavens opened, so maybe that was  sign I made the right choice.

I was supposed to have a four hour easy ride tomorrow, so I figured I would swap today’s hard session with tomorrow’s easier one, and try again in the morning. 

In addition to cutting short today’s bike workout, I didn’t do my planned, thirty five minute run off the bike.  No point in pushing through and digging myself into a hole.  I have spent the day resting and eating well.  I recovered enough to do my run on the treadmill and it went well.  It’s now time for an early night, and we will see what tomorrow brings.