I was a complete zombie yesterday.

First, I was so sleepy that I didn\’t get up until 5:05 am; and that\’s close to the time that I\’m normally heading out on the road bike. I decided to skip the ride.

That gave me an hour to get a few things done at home; and then I rode the hybrid to work. I didn\’t feel so great at work, either. I tried using my work station in \”standing mode\”; and it made me feel lightheaded.

The sky clouded up as the morning went on; and around 11:30 am the thunder began. I was glad I didn\’t have to go anywhere! I expected another downpour; but it didn\’t happen. The overcast helped keep the temperature down; and I got home without getting rained on.

The forecast at 5:30 pm showed rain and T-storms for today. Great, I thought. As usual, I could only wait and see what this morning would be like; and of course I checked up on TS Fred!

But why am I such a zombie? I think several factors are at work. First, at this time of year doing a long Sunday ride means getting up by 4:30 am, perhaps a bit earlier; and that deprives me of a couple of hours of sleep. Even if I start those long rides by 5:00 am, it\’s very hot before I can finish.

Second, back to the heat. Cold temperatures sap my energy; but heat indices of 100+ degrees wear me down, too.

The twice-weekly physical therapy sessions are tiring; and I\’ve had a number of other medical/dental appointments recently. It\’s too much rushing around! I want to relax; and ride my bike; and get some sleep. I\’m tired of feeling like a zombie.

Just Can\’t Win

If there are days when I feel like a zombie, there are days when I just can\’t win.

Today I got caught by trains twice! As I was carrying my road bike out the front door, I thought I heard a train; but I heard no train horn. But it was a train; and I don\’t know why it didn\’t blow for the crossing. That\’s very unusual. I had to wait several minutes for the train to get past; and I made my ride a mile or so shorter than usual, because I had to be at physical therapy for 8:00 am.

On the way home, I got caught by another train; and it was a long one. And it stopped before it had cleared the crossing! When a train stops, who knows whether it will start up again in a few minutes; or sit there for a long time. I didn\’t want to find out; so I took an alternate route home.

Of course I\’m checking up on Fred. It looks we don\’t have to worry about him; but there\’s another system out there, and goodness knows what it will do. We\’ll have to cross our fingers, but stay alert; this is no time to be a zombie.