Too Darn Hot

New Rule: 92 degrees is too hot for a bike ride.

We did an amazing Monroe - Lake Stevens - Arlington - Granite Falls ride on Saturday. I knew it was going to be hot, but the weather reports were saying upper 70s for that area. So I headed out with the "see how far I get" attitude, knowing that Saggy Bill could rescue me if necessary. Turns out it was a good thing I was able to take care of myself because Bill and his able assistant Erin were plenty busy with the 4-5 people who did need to be extracted from the course. Yikes.

Just to give you a little background info... I am personally NOT good in any kind of heat. I am from rainy Seattle and start to get really uncomfortable and not able to function somewhere around 81 degrees. But I made it! (Although we took a short-cut and only did 73 miles instead of the whole 80 as it seemed like people were dropping like flies.) The key was drinking lots and lots of water! And some with a good dose of electrolyte powder in it. I put my mind to it and drank, drank, drank all along the way - which I am normally not good at. At least twice I started to get signs of the dreaded dehydration headache, but I listened to it as a warning and drank lots more. It's amazing what our bodies can do, even under adverse circumstances. Especially when we know how to listen to them and take care of them.

Yes, we did it and we are proud to have perservered and conquered. But how about something in between freezing wet and roasting? Spring - ever heard of it?! Now would be a good time for those 70 degree sunny Saturday rides I was counting on. (On the bright side it appears I've officially broken the rain curse...)