We had a couple of days (including Christmas) with snow on the ground, but the snow is gone and the sun is out. Although it was cold (44º) and breezy, I went out for a bike ride this afternoon. I wore a windbreaker over my jersey and also brown cotton gloves. The ride was uneventful, which, after my broken collarbone six months ago in Waxahachie, is good. I saw a bobcat near the entrance to River Legacy Parks. It ran across the road in front of me. I could see that it had a radio transmitter on. Some scientist must be doing research.
About the only other thing of note is that my average heart rate was 138. This is the second-highest I've ever recorded on a bicycle, beating the 137 of five days ago. The highest—143—was somewhat of a fluke, since I achieved it during a one-hour ride on a quarter-mile track. I knew that I would be riding for only one hour, so I pushed hard. Also, it was 107º that day, which made every pedal stroke difficult. My average speed today was an unimpressive 16.45 miles per hour (my record for the course is 17.58), but I attribute that to the wind and cold rather than to lack of effort.
It always feels great to have ridden (or run). The image in this post (click to enlarge) will give you an idea of what much of the trail looks like. It's a wonderful course. I'm flat-out in love with it.
