I have been home for 3 days, (this was written earlier) and I am still totally jet lagged. I am tired when I should be awake and I want to be awake when I should be sleeping. I am getting about 5 hours of sleep a night and I am drinking coffee and tea until it coming out of my ears. Japan is 14 hours ahead of Chicago and my body is totally confused. I will have to drift, muddle through, the rest of the week and hope and pray that I will recover by Monday. Right now I would settle for 6 hours of solid uninterrupted sleep.
Needless to say work and cycling have been a chore. What did the 2 weeks off do to my aerobic capacity? Physiologically I should have been able to maintain my edge for 1 week and only loose a little aerobic capacity the second week. However, I am 54 and I have only been working out at my current level for 3 years so I feel my body lost its edge quickly. I did cross training Wednesday like lunges, stretching, upper-body and I am totally sore. When I hopped on the bike this morning my legs were screaming for mercy, my shoulders said go back to sleep and my brain felt it was in a bath of molasses. All in all I am a wreck. I feel so out of it and my reactions feel so slow that I do not feel safe riding in a group. Because I am a good group rider I have been riding solo and staying out of the fray. Its hard not to join a group but having an accident or causing an accident is much worse. The moral of the day. If you don't feel that you can ride in a group comfortably and safely, ride solo.
So look for me by myself. JAM
