I went out alone around 10:00 AM, with the idea of doing about 20-25 miles, combining some local roads in a new way.
Good thing I didn't. I sneezed a bunch of times before I went, took an allergy pill and nasal rinse. My eyes were hurting, but off I went. It is nice and cool out, around 60 when I left. I got up Strawberry Hill, feeling a little off, and my speed was just a little lower than usual. Then, I had a nice flat/downhill. OK. The next road is about half a mile of 4% uphill. Gradual. All of a sudden, I felt like I was choking, and I wished I had my inhaler! After a bit, I stopped and drank half of my bottle and blew my nose. I slowed down and regulated my breathing, but I was in a cold sweat. At a certain point, maybe mile 9, I turned right instead of left and headed home. Just when I started going up my street, up the hill, a group of about 8 cyclists were coming down the hill. Iknew almost all of them, and was slightly embarrassed about my leisurely pace of say, oh, about 5.5 mph. But, I felt bad enough to not really care. Came home, showered all of the pollen off of me and took my contacts out. Still not feeling great and I am planning to ride early early AM. Hopefully, it's gone by then. A grand total of just under 14 miles.
Glad I didn't drive 45 miles to do a metric today!