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| Turns out this was the truth. |
I got a road bike in February, fell in love with it, and signed up for a Century ride... Fortunately for me the event I signed up for had metric century, 100k or 62 miles. Saturday was the day. I was super nervous and maybe a little undertrained. PJ was originally signed up to ride with me, but because of the details of life he wasn't able to train at all so he decided not to ride and worked as my awesome sherpa.
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| Sherpa #1 |
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| Sherpa #2 |
We headed up to Cascade around 7:00am, got signed in, and hit the road. There was no start time, just a rough start point to roll out from. I kind of liked not starting with a group, it allowed me to pick my pace, but also freaked me out because I was totally afraid of getting lost the entire time...
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| Before |
Things starting getting a bit hotter and the negative thoughts started to creep in around the 30 mile turn around. I knew physically I could do this, but my brain would be my demise if I let it. I was slow, I got passed A LOT. By mile 40 I was the LAST person, not by far though, every time I pulled into a rest stop there were a handful of folks there. The last 20 miles were pretty brutal both physically and emotionally. Before Saturday the longest I had ever ridden was 40 miles. I kept reminding myself I'm brand new to road biking, it was my ride and it didn't matter where I finished simply that I finished, and to be grateful to have a body that let me move along such a beautiful road.
Over all it was probably the slowest Metric Century in US history, 5:36:30 was my total time for the day. When I finally saw PJ at the very end I broke down in tears, I was so happy and proud that I had set this goal, and finished it. I also was ready to be off that bike! My bum, hips, and shoulders were done with me and done with being on the bike, but I did it!
I am pleasantly surprised that I am not sore today. I'm tired (very tired!) and I feel there is no gas in the tank, but I was bracing myself for pain when I got up and there was none. (I swear EnduroPacks is part of that!)
I learned:
- I really needed more hours on the bike. It's not just being fit, it's being used to having my butt in that saddle.
- Being a good squatter and having big thighs (thanks crossfit) helps make those hills happen.
- Positive self-talk is really real. Everytime I let the bad crap in I started to hate the ride and think about quitting, but I'd start the cheesy positive self talk, and I'd be moving right along again.
- I'm pretty dialed on fueling, but I need to drink more water, I let me self dehydrate a bit early on I think.
- My fiance and puppy make amazing sherpas.
- And lastly, I learned I'm pretty freaking awesome if I set my mind to it.
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| The very last photo snapped before I crawled off of the bike. |
That is some gnarly elevation gain!No matter when or how you finished, the most important thing is you finished what you started, and you haven't even been riding that long! Long rides like this are long, tedious conversations with ourselves, especially when you are out there alone. Yes, you are awesome! Proud of you buddy!
ReplyDeleteFriggin AWESOME!!! Be proud of what you have accomplished. Check out bike shops in your area and start going on group rides, I love them and they are so much fun and very social. I have learned a lot going to them, About riding, different events going on in the area, and even nerd talk. Just keep up the riding and you will get there.
ReplyDeleteCONGRATULATIONS!!!! You are a winner indeed! That is a tough ride and you did it, you hung in there. The time doesn't matter, the place doesn't matter - the courage to keep going and finish, that is what matters! So proud of you. I agree with Joel about seeking out velo groups and training with them and learning what to do to train for these kind of rides if you want to continue on. You could also contact your cousin Traci as she and Matt are avid cyclers and could give you lots of great tips.
ReplyDelete