Cycling as a natural anti-depressant

It is amazing how a good workout can fix a bad today.

And today was a bad day. It wasn't bad for any particular reason, more the culmination of a bunch of smaller things over which I have no control.

I have not gotten any of the jobs I have interviewed for, so now that there are no open positions left for me to apply, I am back to my old standby of networking and redoing my resume. We are losing a person in the lab tomorrow, so I will have to work more overnight shifts to accommodate that change.. which I am worried will trigger more insomnia nights. I am also in the longest stretch of being single that I can remember. Even for me, who certainly enjoys a lot of alone time, it's getting frustrating. My friends (who are ALL in relationships by the way) listen and try to help (and have gone so far as to actually introduce me to guys that I will like - and have liked) but it seems to be a perpetual case of wrong place, wrong time for me.

So with all of that weighing on my mind, I didn't have the most fun day of my life. And I knew I had to ride my bike for 2.5 hours after work (because I don't have time this Saturday to do it, which is when it's scheduled for). So if the ride went badly, I think it would have sent me over the edge.

I think I subconsciously knew that I NEEDED it to go well. It wasn't a super scenic route (although it was a loop instead of my typical out and back) and it was hot, and I didn't ride particularly fast, and there was a bit of traffic, but it was good. It just felt really good. And it made me happy to be riding. Spinning up hills, flying down hills, sweating, drinking when my timer went off.. all felt like second nature. Every time I ride, I can look down and see my Ironman stickers on my top tube, and it reminds me that I can do things that not everyone can do. And that even though parts of my life are not going as well as I'd like them, that other parts are going great. And that took away the bad feelings that were resonating throughout me.

And now I feel better.