Lynne makes a good point, and diseases like Lyme can be hard to identify and affect people to all different degrees. Not sure where you are from, but around here it is sadly an all too common occurrence.
You mention both your rides are drop bar configurations. I might suggest a bar like the Albatross with a somewhat more upright position on one of your bikes. If your rides are starting out energetically then bogging down, you may be leaving the gate too fast, even unconsciously. I recommend the change of bars mostly as a psychological aid. I think the way our bicycles are set up can affect the approach to riding, and being more upright can slow you down not just aerodynamically. It affords a bit more opportunity to be aware of the journey itself. Might also make the slower toodles with your wife's commute more fun. Could be an interesting experiment. Assuming no underlying health issues, hitting the big 5-0 should not have a huge impact on your energy levels with this mileage. However, with your wife's slow commute added in, and your flagging a bit toward the end of rides, you are probably spending as much time in the saddle as a Cat 4 racer in training, and I would say it is possible you might be overdoing it, at least mentally. I would keep track of ride times as opposed to mileage for a couple of weeks, and see where that falls. Based on this, I would suggest maybe do the longer ride every other week, with at least one of these a month relatively flat if possible, and try 3 days of half commuting and 2 full, and knock out the restaurant ride for a while. Taking a couple of days off from all riding now and then can also be helpful. Unless you have just finished a major century or brevet, daily riding for commuting and pleasure should rarely leave you "feeling like trash." Aside from an occasional bout of laziness, it should generally leave you ready and eager for another two-wheeled adventure the following day. As for not wanting to do a "diet" I have news for you, you are already on a diet, unless you are dead. Sometimes it is worthwhile to experiment with how certain categories of food might affect mood or physical energy levels. Many people, athletes or not, have found it to be beneficial, with no sacrifice to their love and enjoyment of food. A diet does not necessarily mean deprivation. That is almost like people thinking that someone who bikes to work is deprived/depraved and is not doing so voluntarily, but under government edict or medical advice. On Tuesday, April 26, 2016 at 2:00:32 PM UTC-4, Lynne Fitz wrote: > > I > > Short story long - if you feel nothing should be wrong, yet it is, and > your doctor says nothing is wrong, you are fine, which is what I got both > times - get a second opinion. > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.