Survival Mode

I woke up this morning with a queasy stomach. As I was driving to the starting point of the ride, I was considering if trying to do 125mi was too ambitious for me on this day. I got there, and looked at the cue sheets. I had until mile 35 to decide if i was going to do only 62mi. At mile 55, I had to decide whether to do 100mi or 125mi. It was all going to depend on how I felt at the moment.

Mile 0: I left the starting area at 7AM. There was a hill at the very start of the ride. Before I had time to warm up, I was already climbing. I noticed that the road markers were too close to the turns, and in some cases, after stop signs.

Mile 22: The A riders passed me, and I stayed with them for 12mi until the first rest stop at mile 22. They were averaging about 23 miles on rolling hills. Being honest with myself, I knew that I would not be able to keep that pace and still do 125mi.

Mile 35: I decided to keep going and not do the 62mi turn. I was feeling really good at this point. I almost had a really bad crash here though, as I was coming down a hill at 30+MPH, there was a blind turn coming, and when I hit the brakes there was a lot of sand on the road. I was able to clip out and maintain control, but still ended on the opposite sidewalk of the perpendicular road. Luckily, no cars were coming at that instant.

Mile 52: Second rest stop. Getting here was a struggle, as there were long climbs for 15mi, with very few descents. The worst was that there were several traffic lights and stops, so there were a few times that I had to keep climbing after stopping, losing all my momentum. I got here at 10:30AM, and I was averaging under 17MPH for the whole ride. At this moment, I had long ago abandoned the idea of the 125mi. The return to my car was going to be a struggle.

Mile 72: Third rest stop. I felt like crap when I got here. I was cramping up whenever I left the saddle. Staring at mile 60, I started dividing the remaining distance in 10mi segments. I thought of giving up at this rest stop, but I decided to keep going...

Mile 103: MILE 103????????? The three additional miles really freaked me out. My mind was really playing games, and not reaching the starting point at mile 100 caused a flood of doubts. Did I miss a turn? Could I finish? I was so happy when I saw the signs for the end of the ride. I got here at 1:45PM. I averaged just above 16.5MPH.

Overall, I did not have a good time during this ride. The weather was nice, but by noon I was really hot. I was cursing at myself for not doing the 62mi ride (you would be DONE now, my mind kept saying). I may do this Rally again, but I need to rest a little before tackling it. This bike ride was hillier than the Black Bear Tri. I ran on Saturday, and I wish that I had not. I am limping right now, but I do not think that this limp will last long. I hope that this does not mess up my training this coming week.