Skip to main content

There's nothing like a good friend

When I got up this morning, I felt like sh@#&! I was just plain tired, made even more so, knowing my latest blood work had me with a hemoglobin of 11.5 g/dl. I was also concerned about the two nose bleeds I had on Sunday and Monday, and wondering if I was going to be able to ride my bike at all this morning.

I couldn't even back out of riding [which at the time I wanted to], as I committed to do Turnbull Canyon, with a friend. So I made the best of it, put on a happy face, and headed out at 7 AM to meet Ed.

From the very moment, I left the house, I felt I was going to have problems. My speedometer was only registering about 16 mph, which was really discouraging as I felt like I was doing 18 or 19 mph, but I persevered anyways. There's no way I was going to ever admit anything was wrong.

So we meet up, and headed for the Whittier foothills. I did my best to keep up with Ed, hoping only that I wouldn't get another nose bleed, and would not fall too far behind on the hills.

As we reached the base of the first hill, Colima and Lambert Roads, Ed was kind enough to ride with me for a little while, but then soon took off on his own. I couldn't keep up. I did manage to catch him at one of the fortuitous traffic lights, and briefly passed him, but he soon went by again.

But then, he slowed down, and I was able to catch and pass him shortly before the top. He did stay with me as we crested the summit, and continued down the other side, so I figured he was just being a nice guy, so I wouldn't feel too bad.

We then continued on our way to the second [and last] hill, the backside of Turnbull Canyon. For the first little bit, Ed road with me, but I was starting to really tire, and told him it was ok to leave me. [I did know the way.] But soon after that Ed started slowing down again, and I was able to catch him, and even pass him.

But this time [I must have gotten a second wind] I kicked it in just a little, as I was passing him, to see if I could drop him, and much to my surprise Ed did not respond. I ended up beating him up the hill by about 30 seconds.

Now I'm not sure if Ed was just being a nice guy, but I didn't really care. It sure made my day, and made the ride back home a lot easier, even with the slight head wind.

Thanks Ed!
Labels:

Comments

Ed said…
You'll never know if I was just being a nice guy, or if I just couldn't keep up with you. Maybe the 30 second gap you made in the last 1000 meters is ahint....
12:51 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The results are in

And I am iron deficient, big time. [Which would account for my low hemoglobin] Test Result Ref Range IRON 30 59-158 mcg/dL TOTAL IRON BINDING CAPACITY 231 250-420 mcg/dL IRON SAT 13 20-50 % My Ferritin levels were good, but that could be because Ferritin is also an "acute phase reactant", that is sometimes increased with acute or chronic disease. Folate and B12 levels were also within the normal range. The only problem now is determining what is causing the iron deficiency, which in the case of men, is [very] rare. My oncologist has given me a Globin Fecal test to perform, and has scheduled me for a consultation with a colorectal surgeon to discuss performing a colonoscopy, which could be problematic because of my large spleen. In the mean time, I've decided to start taking an iron supplement, it's only the quantity that is causing me some consternation. I've been told by a very knowledgeable person that to overcome an iron deficiency, I need to be taking 300 mg o...
5 comments
Read more

This is just one of those days

It's one of those days you just want to sit around the house and do absolutely nothing, or watch some movies you have recorded. It might even be a good day to read a book, if you were so inclined, which I am not. As you should be able to see from the view out my bedroom window, it is raining outside. The rain started last night, and hasn't let up since. I can't complain too much though, as this is the rainy season, and we do need the rain. Plus Monday's are typically my day off from exercise, so I will surprise everyone, and not complain. I just feel sorry for anyone who might be visiting from, say Argentina, like a friend of mine (fellow MCLer), who happens to be in Cambria today. He might be a little disappointed. Fortunately the rest of the week, when he will be in LA, will be nice, and the real intent of his trip was to visit his son in Tahoe, who works at one of the ski resorts, and ski, so I know he's not complaining too much either. This weather will actually...
6 comments
Read more

When is enough, enough?

Today I learned, Lance Armstrong, the most drug tested athlete in the history of sport, is being accused of doping, again . This time by the US Anti Doping Agency (USADA), who claim they have collected blood samples from him in 2009 and 2010 that were “fully consistent with blood manipulation including EPO use and/or blood transfusions.” Really! What took them so long? The French have been trying to make allegations of drug doping stick for years, ever since he won his first Tour d'France, but to no avail. And now the USADA claims to have evidence to support that claim, and they've waited almost 3 years before releasing this evidence. Needless to say, I am skeptical. Then there's this from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO): Increasing the federal excise tax on cigarettes by 50 cents per pack eventually would increase Medicare and Social Security spending, slightly. Eventually? What is the CBO suggesting here? That we should encourage smoking, because if we don't, in...
11 comments
Read more