Permanent Vacation

That time I nearly died on Martha's Vineyard. And that other time, too.

I WAS THE FITTEST I’D EVER BEEN, and I had reason to push it. I was in my early forties, after all, and had something to prove: I’m not dead yet! So I brought my road bike with me on our family vacation to Martha’s Vineyard. Early one July morning, while my wife and kids snuggled in their beds, I began pedaling Up Island for what could have easily been …