48 Mile Bike Ride

I had been toying with doing the Shelbyville Series Tri #3 today, but late last night I decided to commit to a long bike ride instead - since that's where I need a lot more of my training. I met some Landshark's on the Indiana side of the Big 4 Bridge at 1:30, and it was already a more-than-warm and sunny day. Most everyone had planned to do 50 miles, but since my longest ride to-date (sans a 50-mile 4 years ago) was the 27 I did last week, I figured I would go approx. 35-40 at the most. A group of about 17 of us took off down a long stretch along the river, and made our way to the point where we turned around last week. This was the first time I'd ever taken the tri bike out for an actual ride, but having ridden around the Tom Sawyer parking lot a few days before, I was already fairly comfortable clipping in and out, and getting into an aero position. Much like last week, most of the group took off at a high rate of speed, but luckily I had either Todd, Geri or Carlos to keep me company at any given time. I felt fairly good for that first part of the ride, and was even surprised when Todd told me that I was averaging about 17mph (I had forgotten to hit the Start button on the Garmin when we took off, so I was clueless). Still, this was a flat stretch of road, and with the tri bike being a bit lighter than the road bike, I could tell a significant difference in how it rode. We pulled up to stop at the place where we turned around last week, and I told the group that I didn't think I could pull off 50 miles just yet. Again, having only completed 27 last week, I felt that I wasn't prepared. Plus, I had only brought a certain amount and type of nutrition with me, and was concerned about bonking. The group affirmed that I could turn around about 5-8 miles up, and so that was the new plan. We crossed the highway and made our way into a mass of hills. None of them were too terribly steep, but there were definitely some rollers. We continued right, and then left, down another stretch before coming up to Charlestown. At some point around this time I told the group that I tend to get emotional for some reason when I get into some endurance length training. I did get a bit tearful at this point, but with jokes coming from Carlos, I was able to muddle through without a flow of tears - at least for a little while longer. The guys went ahead and pretty soon it was just Geri and I going up and down continuous hills. At some point she stopped near the top of one and pulled off into a driveway. It was here that I lost it a little bit. I had only taken in 2 Cliff chews and some water, and was feeling really fatigued and hot. Geri told me that it was probably best to take in some protein and she offered me a Cliff bar. I took a small bite and felt nauseous. Took another and that's all I could muster before swigging some water and pulling myself together for the last 5 miles of the 50 miler. (Yes, at some point I think I inadvertently succumbed to doing the full length because, why not?) We went ahead before finally catching up to Carlos, and went a few miles further before seeing the remainder of our group heading back the other way. We decided to go ahead and turn around with them and head back to the bridge. At this point I was thankful to be heading back - my quads were becoming toast, my bum was a bit sore (not to mention a somewhat numb pooniny), and my shoulders were getting somewhat tight. We stopped for a small break at a convenience store to reload, and I filled up my two water bottles and managed to swallow down the remainder of the Cliff bar offered by Geri earlier. At this point, I had already downed a protein-filled Gu she had also given me, and I was feeling significantly better than on the way out. The way back wasn't nearly as bad (probably because, mentally, I knew it was almost over), but the hills persisted until the last 14 miles or so. At that point it was mostly flat which, honestly, is almost just as bad since you have to consistently pedal and never really get a break for your legs without losing speed. Todd kept me company for most of Utica Pike, and the conversation helped to take my mind off just how much longer we had to go, and how tired my body was getting. At this point my quads were toast, my shoulders were hella-sore, and sitting upright caused my shoulders to burn while sitting down in aero put a decent amount of pressure on my nether-region. Pulling up towards the end, the group had pulled over to wait for me, one last time, before bringing it in for the last mile. Coming up on them, they all clapped at my accomplishment and I felt awesome to have such a supportive, understanding group of people to help get me through this day. A couple of things I've learned: 1) Bike shorts (i.e. more padding) is probably best for these longer rides. 2) I definitely need to work on my nutrition. I had taken some sort of fizzy-lemonade disc and plopped it into one of my water bottles for extra electrolytes. I wasn't crazy about it as it had a bit of carbonation and made me a somewhat bloated. I will also be bringing more protein with me for the next ride, and maybe less sugar. 3) Sun screen is going to be imperative for these rides - I now have a nice little tank-top sunburn across my upper back. And 4) I will never take my tri-mates for granted, EVER! I never could have done this without their encouragement and support, and I am so thankful to have them with me on this journey. Final mileage was 48, and the clock time was approx. 4 hours - however, with so many stops I think it was probably closer to 3.5 hours. Total calories burned: 1,942.