Air - Under appreciated

I think it is safe to say that we all know that I am not a morning person. I rarely actually wake up when I roll out of bed but tend to blunder along in a semi-conscious state for as long as possible. Its not just that my brain is sluggish, my whole body reacts as if I'm in a pool of syrup. But I've been a good sport and a willing participant in our early morning bike rides for almost three whole weeks now. I don't grumble, whine or resort to tricks to avoid the rides. I get on my bike in relatively good cheer and then huff, puff and gasp my way through the next 30-45 minutes. To tell you the truth it has been mortifying to realize how hard it is for me to keep my legs moving and I do have to pedal constantly or I drift rapidly to a complete stop. My bike is on the old side and rather heavy compared to some of the snazzy newer models, but it isn't really filled with cement but I've let myself get so out of shape that it feels like its pulling an extra 50 pounds (and I haven't gained that much).

I felt a little bit better when Mom commented on how hard she had to work on her ride with Sheela over the weekend. I know Mom is in pretty good shape. Between the tennis and the hiking she is doing great. So maybe I'm not the complete slug that I feel like.

This morning I wasn't quite as tired as the others, my brain was a little bit more rested and my oxygen level just a touch higher. With this new found AM lucidity I had an epiphany. I should check the air in my tires. You guessed it... the back tire was completely flat and I've been too tired to even notice. It took us a little bit longer to get on the road this morning but we were able to ride farther faster on those wonderful circular tires. I'm not nearly as worn out and I'm actually looking forward to riding tomorrow.