Let's rewind the clock a bit back to July. My friend Byron texted me about an upcoming SR600 in Utah. I had been interested in this ride for over a year so this was a welcome text. My friend and training partner Jeff was busy training to go west and ride the Cascades 1400K with our mutual friend and riding partner Amy. I mentioned this ride to Jeff and he was all in. In addition, we had tentatively booked the SR600 in Arizona for October. With the SR600 coming up quickly, we put together a plan for me to get in shape. Jeff was already in shape from his training leading up to Cascades and then having completed Cascades. My job was to catch up. I looked at my calendar and put a plan into place with a weekly night ride and then some longer rides on Saturdays all the way to August 15th which is the week we would depart for Utah. I arranged for time off of work and then got ready for my first ride after being off the bike for a couple of weeks.
The first test was a Saturday 200K (Burnet Durn It!) with Jeff, Amy, and Gary. It was going to be a hot day and I found myself suffering late in the ride due to the heat. I was glad to have my friends there to help me through the ride. I felt glad to finish this ride and hoped I was building something toward success.
The next Thursday, Jeff and I rode my favorite 100k which is Rudy's 2 Step. Early in the ride, I felt good. We visited the first services and I grabbed a cold soda and left the control feeling confident. As we got further up the road, I felt my confidence disappear and my legs turn to mush. We took a break well before the normal stop where I tried my best to get myself put back together. We finished the 100k with me feeling like I had been put through the wringer.
Friday, I went to work as normal. I started to feel a bit tired in the afternoon. Late in the day, I headed to the bus stop in the heat and found myself struggling to walk to the bus stop. On the bus, I put my earphones in and dozed off -- which is very uncharacteristic for me. At home, I ate a light dinner and tucked in early thinking I was just tired.
Saturday morning, I woke up early with a massive headache. I texted Jeff early to tell him I didn't feel well and I went back to sleep and woke a couple hours later with my wife wondering why I was not riding. I told her I didn't feel well. I took the at home COVID test and found I was positive for COVID. I texted Jeff and told him the bad news. Needless to say, this ended the plan for the SR600 in Utah. I was remaining optimistic, but in my heart I knew it was not going to happen.
Over the weekend, I stayed home and in isolation,. I worked because there was not much I could do. I felt OK, but I had a low grade fever and a continual headache. I had a tele-medicine visit with a doctor who ordered me monoclonal antibody treatment. In the meantime, I took vitamin D, vitamin C, Zinc, and Quercetin. All of these things designed to boost my metabolism. I also contacted my vaccine study and told them I was positive. They scheduled me for a sick visit on Tuesday. The antibody treatment was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.
Monday was the worst day. I felt miserable. I worked the morning and then slept the whole afternoon. I woke with little appetite and went back to bed early in the evening and slept soundly the whole night. I woke up Tuesday morning feeling groggy and weak. Tuesday morning, I went to Benchmark were they had me wait in my car and then sent me to the portable behind their office to meet with the nurse. She took blood and swabs and documented my vitals. She told me they would call with a result in a couple of days.
I went home and waited for the antibody treatment. The treatment was scheduled for home and 3 people showed up around 5pm - an EMT and 2 nurses. The nurses came into the house with full PPE. They installed an IV in my arm and then injected me with the antibodies. For the next hour, we chatted and they checked my vitals every 15 minutes. After an hour, they decided I was not going to go into shock or keel over with some kind of reaction. We said goodbye and I prepared for another early turn in for sleep. With 2 engagements with medical care, I was exhausted.
Now, my wife had also had COVID 2 weeks before. I was still puzzled about where I had contracted COVID-19. I had been vaccinated and boosted with the study's booster that targeted Omicron. I felt like I should be protected, but I was careful around my wife when she was ill. It took her 4 days to test negative and then another week to gain back her strength. For me, it was longer. It took 7 days to test negative and then the road to recovery. My wife and I had delayed a trip to Houston to see the M.C. Escher exhibit so it was a relief to have an easy weekend after a week of recovery. I worked from home and didn't ride the bike at all.
A week later after Houston, I drove back to Austin after dropping my wife at the Houston airport to travel to Florida for a weekend helping our daughter search for a wedding dress. I came home Saturday morning and found the weather a bit cooler with a nice breeze blowing. I texted Jeff and said I was surprised at the nice weather and he said he planned to ride Leander to Meander and did I want to join him. Feeling good I agreed. We met in the early afternoon and rode into an ever increasing heat. As we reached Parmer, I found myself hyperventilating and feeling weak. We stopped at a store along Parmer and I choked down a soda. We continued on to the control in Leander and I knew I had to eat, but I had no appetite. I drank another soda. As we headed back, I had another heat stroke and had to stop at a store on Parmer before we turned back towards the next big climbs. I told Jeff I was done, We pedaled back for the next mile and then I let Jeff go as our average was hovering around 10 and he needed to boogie to finish the ride. I stopped a couple of times on the way home. I dry heaved and felt dizzy. I knew it was too soon to start riding and limped home with my tail between my legs.
A week later, another weekend approached. I asked Jeff about a night time ride to avoid the heat. As the weather called for a drop in temperature, he suggested we ride MTL out to Lexington on a day that was forecast to be in the 90s. As we got closer to Saturday, no rain came and the forecast for 100+ came just like other days in the last month. We started at 6am and I rode with some amount of trepidation. Ian was with us and I learned that Ian's wife had gotten a job at UC Berkley and they would be moving in September. We had nice weather early, but as the heat ramped up, we took stops to enjoy shade and hydration. Fortunately, I was not alone in the need to stop and while I was hot, I still felt good. We finished the ride together and I was glad to have gotten a 200K done in August to keep my streak going.
Some takeaways from my experience. The time to recover from COVID should be given what it needs. Trying to ride in the heat of the day the week after testing negative was a mistake. I should have never attempted this. 2022 is another year like 2011 with many 100+ days. With 3 weeks off the bike, I should have eased back into the sun before taking on a long bike ride. Our mind often wants to do things our body is not ready to do. Give it time, don't push to fast. Let your body recover before you subject it to a brutal summer day.
All in all, I am glad to be riding strong again. I am again thinking about the SR600 in October and trying to get ready. Unfortunately, I have a 2 weekend vacation planned in Europe where I won't be riding. I'll have to make sure I train smart before I leave and when I get back. Wish me luck!